#<- my friend will understand if she sees this (and if she remembers??)

[noosayog]

Sitting at the bar, alone, is far from Atsumu’s ideal Friday night. 

But Bokuto’s busy, Shoyo has a date, and Omi, well… he didn’t even bother to make an excuse. Some friends they are, especially when he’s going through a breakup. 

It does get better, minorly, when you, a pretty stranger, decide to sit in the stool directly to his left. Never mind that the bar is full and the seat next to his is the only free spot.

You’re pretty, dressed in something casual, yet memorable. He’s content to simply sit beside you, fantasizing scenarios in which he charmingly and successfully gets you to join him for a drink and dinner soon, when he hears you. 

“So how’s your night going?” 

“Uh.”

You giggle lightly. He feels his face flush a shade deeper. 

“Articulate, aren’t you?” 

Atsumu chokes out an awkward chuckle. “I’m usually better than this.” 

“Yeah?” You lean further in, propping your chin on your hand. 

“Yeah.” 

A moment of silence. Your smile drops. Oh, you’re definitely about to turn to your left and try your luck with the other guy sitting on that side. 

“Um-” 

“Ok, whatever,” you say. “I’m just gonna come out and ask. Do you have a girlfriend?”

“Uh, no. I’m actually going through a-”

You hold a hand up. “I don’t really wanna hear details. So you’re single? Not seeing someone? Not trying to see someone?” 

“No.” 

“Cool. Wanna make out with me? No strings attached, of course.” 

“Uh?”

“You’re not really doing too hot convincing me that your normal is better than this. Make out.” You gesture, lips puckered. “With me. Just looking for a little fun tonight, you know?” 

Yes, he does want to make out with the pretty girl sitting next to him, so charming, he thinks he might’ve fallen in love. But instead, what he says is- 

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. I mean it’s not really my things to hook up with someone right when I meet them and I’m going through a fresh breakup…” 

You sit back up, swiveling your stool so you’re facing the bar now. “No worries. I don’t wanna pressure someone who’s not down. Have a good night then.” 

You turn back to your book, which he didn’t even notice was there. A sip of your drink, knife to the conversation. 

Atsumu probably spends a good while racking his head for a way to restart the connection when he hears you order another drink. He keeps his head down, discreetly eavesdropping as you flirt with the bartender. 

The bartender rests both arms on the bar to lean closer to you, clearly bewitched. Not that Atsumu doesn’t understand but doesn’t this guy have a job to do? He makes a mental note to write a bad google review later. 

“So…” the bartender croons, “I heard your proposition for Blondie over there.” 

Excuse him? He’s sitting right here still! 

“If he’s not interested-”

“Who said I’m not!” 

Both sets of eyes whip toward him. 

“Bro, we both heard you say-” 

“Okay, so can’t a guy make a mistake?” He turns to you, voice accusatory. “Guys say things when we’re nervous. I’m nervous, okay? I’ve never been asked to make out with some like you,” he gestures up and down. “I am so interested in making out with you.” 

You blink once, twice, before turning to the bartender. “I think I’m done drinking for the night.” 

You turn toward him. 

“Put my drinks on blondie’s tab. He’s closing out now.” 

Atsumu hardly remembers throwing a couple of bills on the table before you grab his hand, trailing after your tinkling laughter. 

–

“- and that’s how I met your mother.” 

“Bullshit!” 

“No way she asked you, of all people, at that bar to make out with you.” 

”Seems kinda farfetched, Atsumu…” 

The MSBY team is gathered in your living room, your one year old son babbling on Atsumu’s lap. 

“Hey! No swear words around my son.” 

His teammates roll their eyes. 

“You’re so full of it. No way that story-”

“What are you guys talking about?” You enter the room with a handful of beers. 

“How you and Atsumu met.” 

“Oh, you mean how I asked him to make out with me?” 

“No fucking shot!” 

“Language!”

[theseinfernalangels]

Fragile — Sawyer Henrick

Synopsis: Mender!Reader comes back from RSC worse off than the rest of your squad. Sawyer is heartbroken and takes care of you.

A/N: I pumped this one out surprisingly fast! I may post my OC reference sheet after this for more context, since there are references to characters you haven’t met yet, such as Reader’s dragon, Cridhe, and Eden (Liam’s girl!). We’ll see how it turns out! I might even do a part two for this hehe.

Warning for mentions of blood, injuries, insecurities, and anxiety. Oh, yeah; don’t forget the dragon telepathy.

Sawyer knew something was up when you didn’t meet him outside the Gathering Hall. 

It wasn’t like you to be late for…Well, anything, much less seeing him. He certainly wasn’t an anxious person, but it made his fingers twitch with nervousness when he didn’t spot your cautious frame lingering close to the sides of the hall. He waited anyway. He’d always wait for you.

At the ten-minute mark, his thoughts began to race. He could understand if you stayed behind for a word with one of your professors – you were a genius, anyway. Perhaps you could have gone off-track to help another cadet in need of extra notes. That was just in your nature (even though Sawyer and Ridoc had tried to convince you to charge a couple coins for it – you’d be swimming in gold by now). Maybe you were in the infirmary with your friend…Eden, was it? Emily? He could barely remember.

But no. Another fifteen minutes slowly ticked by, and his reasonable side began to veer off a little. Maybe you’d been injured somehow. Maybe the other cadets had finally taken advantage of your anxious, gentle nature and were in the middle of ganging up on you. Maybe they’d finally gotten you – the Marked cadets who weren’t too fond of you for what your parents, Navarrian military legends, had done to them.

He heard Sliseag’s chiding voice resound in the back of his mind. Easy there, Ashling, he soothed. Do not worry too much. She is exactly where she is meant to be.

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. I would beg to differ, he replied, trying to calm his racing heart. If she was in the right place, I wouldn’t be talking to you right now.

The dragon snorted. Really, now? he mused. Look up.

Sawyer had just turned, his palms sweaty, when he saw a figure moving sluggishly in his peripherals. He squinted, then froze, the sight making his blood run cold.

You finally showed up…But you looked awful.

Damaged was the best word to describe it. Your hair was messy, your bangs falling in your face in a way it only looked after an intense flight. One of your eyes was swollen shut, and the rest of your face was battered. Your bottom lip was split and bleeding, the blood oozing out sluggishly and staining your chin crimson. That was only your face; the rest of your body was probably just as bruised and injured.

Go, he heard Sliseag urge. Go to her now. She needs you, Ashling.

He broke out of his trance; he couldn’t run fast enough to get to you, his legs moving on what felt like autopilot. Gods. What did they do to you?

You held up a hand when he neared you. “I’m fine,” you whispered hoarsely. “I…It looks worse than it feels.”

Sliseag made a noise of disapproval in his mind. I doubt that.

Sawyer, in that moment, felt almost scared to touch you, as if putting his fingers anywhere would shatter you like glass.

Finally, he found his voice. “What the hell happened to you?” he murmured, wincing at how sick he sounded. His eyes traced your face; you still looked gorgeous as ever, but just looking at your good eye made his heart wrench.

“We,” you began, faltering as you fell forward a bit. Sawyer caught you with ease, splaying a hand on your back as you leaned into him. “We had RSC. I…I didn’t expect for it to be so…awful.”

You looked down, and Sawyer made a soft sound of protest as he lifted your chin back up to face his. Skies above, he thought. He’d seen you injured before, obviously – there was no avoiding that at Basgiath. But this…

“Oh, darling,” he murmured, ghosting a kiss on your forehead. “I’m so sorry. You…You haven’t been to the infirmary yet?”

You shook your head. “No. I saw a clock and remembered we agreed to meet up. Wanted to see you first.”

Oh, he thought. Damn you, you sweet, sweet girl. Damn you and your loveliness. 

He sighed quietly, glancing at the sky. It was getting close to dusk, which meant that the infirmary was probably winding down for the day. His gaze flitted back down to your trembling form, his heart aching.

“Do you want to go?” he asked, hoping he didn’t sound pushy. “I’m sure your friend is still there; she’d be willing–”

His voice trailed off when you vehemently shook your head. “No,” you said softly. “Not now. Can we…Can we just go to yours?”

At that moment, with you looking up at him hopefully, your good eye wide but exhausted, Sawyer would have given you just about anything. 

He nodded, perhaps a little too hard. “Of course, darling. Just hold on to me. I don’t trust your legs right now.”

The pained smile you gave him twists his heart. “I don’t, either.”

It took a little while, but the two of you finally made it to his dorm in relative silence, save for the pained gasps and whimpers that occasionally fell from your swollen lips. The whole time, Sawyer was clenching his teeth. It didn’t matter that RSC was something that happened to everyone – not even his injuries hadn’t looked this rough.

He sat you down gently on his bed. He didn’t want to leave you, not when you looked that beat up, but he pushed that aside to grab the little box of medical supplies you kept in his room for when he was beat up after sparring. If you weren’t huddled beside him looking more fragile than he’d ever seen you, he would have made a joke about it.

You’d already removed your jacket and shirt, leaving your torso bare save for the bindings you always wore. Sawyer relaxed for a moment before he took note of your ribs, black and blue bruising rippling up both sides. Save for that, though, and other bruising and – Gods forbid, handprints – you honestly didn’t look too terrible.

He brushed your bangs away from your face, tilting your chin up so he could assess the damage. “Have you tried mending yourself?”

You sighed, sounding almost disappointed in yourself. “No. I’ve never tried that, but it won’t work, anyway. I tried to mend Anya’s arm after it got dislocated, but it didn’t work. I’m either terrible with my signet, or the injury was too bad, or–”

He cut you off before you could delve deeper into self-doubt. “No,” he assured you, taking a wet rag and wiping the blood on your chin. “They tampered with your water. It’s supposed to dull your signet and cut you off from your dragon to feel more realistic.”

Your lips formed an O in realization. “So that’s why I couldn’t feel Cridhe,” you mumbled, hissing in pain once he actually touched your lip. “I got worried there for a while.”

He nodded, ducking his head lower to check the area around your neck. There was an angry red line around your throat; someone had tried to choke you, he assumed. Bastard.

“I know,” he said softly, pressing a kiss to your collarbone. “When they took me, the serum didn’t wear off for about a day. I thought Sliseag randomly chose to hate me or something.”

The aforementioned scoffed softly. As if, Ashling, he muttered. I didn’t choose you just to leave you behind.

The words warmed Sawyer’s heart long enough that your silence didn’t bother him for the next few minutes while he looked you over.

He only paused when you spoke softly, your voice faint. “I…think I have a concussion,” you mumble. “The light hurts, and I’m dizzy.”

A tight-lipped smile fought its way onto Sawyer’s face. “Trust you to diagnose yourself barely an hour after it happens.”

You don’t respond, prompting Sawyer to lean back up and look into your eyes. Sure enough, your pupils were unfocused and exhausted. Smart girl.

He opened his mouth to make another little quip, only for it to die on his tongue once you leaned into his side.

“Tired?” he prompted you gently. A soft hum from you confirmed his suspicions, and he hesitated for a moment before relenting. He could carry you to Nolan or a healer in the morning, after you slept the night away.

He looked away for a moment, and you had somehow managed to snag a random shirt off his floor and slip it on. His eyes softened, and he reached over to help you out of your pants and under his covers. You looked so…unusually small in his bed, curled in on yourself like a flower without the sun to warm it. He didn’t even bother to change out of his uniform, opting to kick off his boots and leave himself in his undershirt as he settled next to you. You slowly unfurled from your tense position and rested your head on his chest. Pure bliss.

You both lay there in silence for what seemed like hours before Sawyer found his voice again, feeling weirdly sentimental. “I’m gonna go out on a limb and assume you don’t want to talk about it.”

Your silence was an answer enough.

“Thought so,” he murmured. “That’s okay. We don’t have to. Just…I hope you know that I’ll never let that happen to you when the time comes. Whoever it was, they’d have to kill me first to get to you.”

More silence from you. Sawyer thought for a moment that you fell asleep, but his eyes popped back open once he heard your weary voice.

“Sawyer?”

“Yes, darling?”

A beat. Two beats.

“Thank you for this. I didn’t want to be anywhere besides here.”

…You don’t have to thank me, he thinks, a pained smile tugging at his mouth. I’d do anything and more for you, anyway.

[dreamsteddie]

Can't Take My Eyes Off You

Written for the @stmarchmm day one prompt “courting rituals” | Tags: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Courting Rituals, Alpha Eddie Munson, Omega Steve Harrington - Also on Ao3

Bat divider -@popmilky | Diamond divider - @inklore

Eddie knows he doesn’t have much going for him in terms of mating material.

Despite presenting as an Alpha early at age twelve, something that should have given him some kind of status in a town like Hawkins, there’s always been something about him that makes people turn their noses up at him, close doors in his face. He’s kind of wishy-washy when it comes to the things he’s not passionate about, he smells like wet pavement and cigarette smoke, and can’t for the life of him seem to graduate high school.

He also can’t grow a beard, can’t remember to separate the darks from the lights, can’t tie his shoes without using the bunny ears method, can’t hop in place and rub his tummy, can’t- 

Well the point is, there are a lot of “can’t”s in his life and never a whole lot of “can”s

The one thing Eddie can do without a shadow of a doubt is pursue delusions of grandeur with a single-minded determination. No matter how hard this shit-hole town and all its designation-obsessed inhabitants have tried to beat him into the dirt over the years, he’s never let go of his dreams. Some day, he’s going to play songs for the entire goddamn planet, making millions of dollars off lyrics inspired by all the games and books that have gotten his head shoved in the Hawkin’s High toilets over the years, and Mayor Kline will have to give him a key to the city while Eddie Munson, town freak, gives him the middle finger.

And, if all the stars align and the Big Guy upstairs he doesn’t believe in does him several solids, he’ll be doing it with Steve Harrington standing by his side.

The guys think he’s crazy—Eddie thinks he’s crazy—but Eddie is determined to give his all into courting Steve Harrington before their shared senior year ends. He’s, by and large, the most eligible Omega in all of Hawkins, even with his recent breakup with Nancy Wheeler under his belt. No amount of ditching the popular crowd, adopting a bunch of children, and becoming best friends with band geek Robin Buckley has been enough to deter the Alphas of Hawkins High, even if some of them won’t admit it.

Eddie takes great pleasure in watching every failed courting offer. Steve has always been picky about who he lets take him out, but he hasn’t taken up a single Alpha’s offer since Nancy and the rejections are getting more brutal by the day. Eddie suspects it’s Robin’s influence and if that is the case he needs to thank her profusely because Eddie goes a little weak in the knees every time he sees Steve literally turn up his perfect nose at an offer.

So, the odds aren’t looking good. Steve is picky and Eddie is famously a poor, nobody freak, not the kind of guy with the resources to properly woo a guy like Steve, but what Eddie does have is a lot of passion and a strong desire to prove himself. 

So Eddie has a capital P Plan.

“Hey Buckley,” Eddie says sliding up to the girl where she’s packing up at the bleachers after practice. She gives him a scrutinizing look and clearly finds him lacking, squinting her eyes at him like he’s a little bug landed on her shoulder. Irritating and suspicious. Which, rude. “I was wondering if a fine lady like yourself would happen to know what one Steve Harrington might be hoping for in a courting” Robin clearly wasn’t expecting him to come right out and ask, her blue eyes going wide.

“What the fuck, Munson!” She crows, clearly embarrassed by his lack of tact.

“What!?” He fires back, not understanding what the big deal is. He wants to court Steve and Robin is the best source of information on how to go about it.

“You can’t just ask that, you doofus,” she hisses, lavender scent going smokey like brush fire.

“Why not? I want to court him, like, publicly. Everyone’s gonna know in a couple weeks anyway. Shouldn’t you be glad you’re the first to know?” He huffs. He knows it’s not exactly the done thing to go around telling people you’re going to court someone. You’re supposed to be delicate. Hint at it and build up little courting gifts and don’t look anyone in the eye. It’s dumb as hell and Eddie wants no part of it. Besides, so far as Eddie has seen, that method hasn’t worked on Steve anyway. Eddie may as well go about this in his own way, which includes getting insider information.

Still clearly not impressed, Robin says “You? You want to court Steve? Resident anti-conformist, jock-hating, Eddie Munson wants to court Steve Harrington. Why?” Her tone is clearly disbelieving, which, again, rude.

“Uh, I mean, have you seen him with those kids? He’s wicked hot with that whole mom thing he’s got going on.” At that, Robin gags. “And, I mean, I know he’s a jock but he’s also an Omega and he pretty much said fuck it to Hawkin’s High when he presented and refused to give up his position as captain. That was super fucking metal,” he says all earnest.

“And I like the way he smells, like a fresh cinnamon roll. And we shared an English class once and he asked me about the doodle of a Beholder I worked on instead of taking notes. And I know I’m not exactly a prime Alpha but I don’t think that really matters. At least not to me. I want to kiss him and make sweet love to him and have babies with him and -” Robin cuts him off with a hand over his mouth.

“Ok, I get it. You like him.” She says that, but she’s still looking at him like she can’t figure him out. “Alright…I don’t know if I like you Eddie but I’ll throw you a bone. Just one, got it? And if you fuck it up, I’m not helping you again.” She says, waiting for him to nod before removing her hand from his mouth.

Eddie takes a deep, overdramatic breath in like he’s just breached water. “Got it.”

Robin takes a deep breath of her own. “Steve’s been propositioned for courting 19 times since he presented and he’s only said yes to one. One-off dates not included.” She hasn’t stopped looking him straight in the eye, making sure he pays attention. “Nancy gave him a set of handwritten notes for history because she noticed he was struggling. All the other Alphas got him fancy jewelry, useless house stuff, and generic valentine's day crap.” With that, she gives him one last, long look before grabbing her trumpet and leaving, the sound of metal clanging under her feet following in her wake.

“Thanks, Buckey!” He calls out, waving his hand wildly at her retreating back. She ignores him.

Well, no matter. He’s got a courting to plan.

The thing about courting when you have $3.45 to your name after rent and gas is that you have to get creative. Which isn’t a problem, Eddie breathes creativity. If he wasn't already “The Freak” he’s sure he would be Eddie “The Creative” Munson. Really, it has a nice ring to it.

The problem comes with making something with $3.45 that is also a worthy courting gift for Steve Harrington. Which, given Robin’s tip, might not be as big a concern as he would have thought. But even if Steve would be happy with a heartfelt love letter and those peanut butter brownies Eddie knows he likes, there’s a part of him that wants to blow every other Alpha and Beta that came before him completely out of the water. Maybe especially Nancy Wheeler.

Sue him, he wants to be the best.

Which leaves him with the option of a gesture. Eddie loves a gesture, but this one is going to require some help. Luckily, Eddie knows where every gang of geeks in Hawkin’s makes their dens, even if they’re not his gang of geeks. It comes with being Head Freak. It’s his responsibility, really.

Which is how he finds himself in the Hawkins Middle AV club room being stared down by a bunch of beady-eyed thirteen year olds on the verge of presenting. Jesus, these kids are intense.

“So yeah, that’s what I’m planning,” he finishes explaining. Would it kill them to look a little impressed? He’s pretty proud of it himself. Instead of sharing looks of awe, the six of them share looks of judgement between them, obviously having a silent conversation between them like some kind of hive mind. Eddie will never admit it makes him sweat a little bit.

“You want to ask to court Steve. Steve Harrington?” the tall, skinny one asks like he can’t believe it. Eddie doesn’t know if the disgust is for him or for the Omega. Either way, ouch.

“Yes,” he replies, sweating a little more. They all share more looks, the redhead in particular is looking at him like he’s gum stuck on the bottom of her shoes. 

“Why?” The curly one asks, firm and more seriously than any kid that dorky looking should have any right to speak. Seriously, he looks like a poodle in a Star Wars shirt and a trucker hat. But, Eddie knows enough about Steve to know that these are his kids, his pups, and despite how much it chafes him to have people continually asking why he wants to court Steve, like it isn’t obvious, he knows these pups are just looking out for their pack Omega.

With a deep sigh, Eddie explains for the second time in less than a week, everything he loves about Steve Harrington. At the end of his speech, the pups stare at him for a long moment before simultaneously turning their back on him to form an honest to God huddle. Seriously, the hive mind thing is looking more and more likely. Maybe he should use this for a campaign. Very Children of the Corn.

While Eddie is lost in his musing, they seem to come to some kind of conclusion, breaking up and returning to one solid, unbreakable line. It’s the other girl, hair short and at that awkward growing out length that Eddie knows all too well that steps forward. All these kids are intense, but there’s something especially severe about her, something Eddie only half recognizes.

“We will help you,” she says, quiet and solemn. 

This is going to fucking fantastic, Eddie thinks, wild grin splitting across his face.

It’s embarrassingly easy to sneak a band of six middle schoolers and one elementary schooler into the school after hours. The kids met him outside the building just at exactly 4:00 PM the Friday after their meeting in the AV room just as they planned. The addition of the feisty ten year old was unexpected, but she proved herself invaluable in charming the one teacher that stopped them on their way to the radio room, spinning some tale about being so excited for higher learning that they wanted to explore the high school. Eddie thinks Erica Sinclair should run the world.

The kids are a well oiled, if slightly annoying, machine. As soon as Eddie pops the door open they’re getting to work figuring out how the PA system works and how long the range is. Dustin and Lucas insist that they move the entire unit closer to the field, and Max and Will are quick to source a cart for the whole thing. In record time they’re all piling into the coaches office, the one with a clear view of the basketball court where the team is running their Friday drills. Honestly, it feels a little like they’re highjacking Eddie’s plan, but the smiles on their face and their puppy sweet excitement softens the blow a little.

“You ready?” The curly haired one, Dustin, asks while offering him the mic.

“I was born for this, Dusty,” he says, snatching the mic out of his hand and taking his place outside the main gym doors.

Despite what he said, Eddie is nervous. He shakes his hands and bounces in place, trying to shake it off. Before he’s ready, he hears the slightly crackly jazzy intro pouring through the speakers. He counts his beats, waiting for his que. He spent hours planning this, recording the background music with the band, turning the lyrics over and over in his head, even practicing his grand entrance. He’s as ready as he can be.

God, he hopes this works.

And there’s his que, that little pause in the music just enough time for him to push open the doors to the main gym with all his strength, relishing in the dramatic banging sound.

All eyes are on him. Steve’s eyes are on him.

You're just too good to be true,

Can't take my eyes off of you,

He sings as he walks. All the activity in the gym has come to a halt, everyone too confused and curious to stop it. He’s looking right at Steve, who turns his head like he’s expecting to see someone else behind him. He’s so cute, Eddie wants to eat him alive.

At long last love has arrived,

And I thank God I'm alive,

You're just too good to be true

Eddie knows he doesn’t have a lot of time, any moment now principle Higgins and his one security lackey are going to bust through the doors to find out who stole the announcement equipment. This is the moment, the one that needs to count. Eddie saunters right up to Steve like his heart isn’t trying to beat out of his chest and kneels down like a knight to their king. He takes his hand, and Steve lets him as he sings the next line looking right up into those beautiful hazel eyes.

Can't take my eyes off of you.

He turns the hand in his own over to expose the Omega’s wrist just as the music pauses and presses a soft, lingering kiss to the gland there. A courting kiss.

Almost like he planned it, the doors burst open a second time revealing the fuming face of Principle Higgins and his goon. He turns a manic grin Steve’s way just as the music picks back up, cutting straight to the chorus. He presses one last kiss to Steve’s wrist and takes in the way his pretty, pink lips are parted in disbelief, eyes wide and then he’s running.

I love you baby,

And if it's quite alright,

I need you baby,

To warm the lonely nights

Let it never be said that Eddie Munson, for all the ways he fails to be the ideal Alpha, doesn’t have a hell of a lot of stamina. He’s been a proud runner all his life, and he’s using it to his advantage today to put on a show. He’s singing and he’s running as Higgins and Officer Jerry chase his tail like they have any hope of catching him when he doesn’t want to be caught, when he can see the most beautiful boy in the world laughing at him in disbelief as he ducks and dodges around the court.

But even Eddie has his limits and, like he said, he planned this to a T. He can feel himself running out of breath but he refuses to call it before the climax. He’s stomping his way up the bleachers, making a show of going between the rows dancing like he’s in an old hollywood musical. Higgin’s is closing in, but there’s now way he’s getting caught. Not today. He puts in a burst of speed, leaving them in the dust and putting himself right at the top of the wooden stands, singing directly to Steve who is absolutely glowing on the court.

And let me love you,

Baby let me love you…

The music gives one last swell, the Corroded Coffin of two days ago pouring their heart out for the Eddie of today. The music comes to an abrupt halt, the gym very quickly filling with laughter and applause. The kids are screaming their heads off in the office, loud enough to draw Steve’s attention to where they can be seen through the large window. The joy and disbelief on Steve’s face makes all of this worth it, no matter what happens next.

Eddie wishes he could relish in it longer, but the goon squad is gaining ground fast and he has one last message to give before he hauls ass into the next phase of his plan. He starts inching his way toward the exit, not taking his eyes off Steve as he goes. He needs him to hear this.

“Steve Harrington, it would be the honor of my life to court you with the intention of mating. Meet me at the lake at seven if you’ll hear me out.” And with that, he’s gone. He wishes he could stay to see his reaction, but he’s out of time.

He pushes through the emergency exit to the sound of hollering and clapping, all he can do now is commence with phase two.

Phase two mainly consists of picking everything up from the trailer, changing into his nice clothes, and heading toward Lover’s Lake to set everything up.

Eddie thinks this is the most nerve wracking part of the whole plan. In many ways, the whole big performance was the easy part. Eddie loves to perform, eats up the attention like a cat laps up milk. This, the full bearing of his heart to the Omega he wants to spend his life with, is far scarier than anything else. Here in the back of his van, the paper hearts and pillar candles, hand-picked daisies and hand-made peanut butter brownies, leave him completely exposed.

He wonders if Steve will show up.

He wishes he didn’t set up so god damn early. The waiting is excruciating.

The Alpha paces around, adjusts the blankets on the bottom of the van and then decides they were better before, and checks his watch every half minute like it will make time move faster. He sits and watches the hands turn from 6:59 to 7:00. Maybe Steve won’t come. Maybe this was all for nothing and he’ll have to go back to school on Monday and pretend like he isn’t heartbroken.

His watch continues to tick. 7:03, 7:07, 7:10. He’s getting ready to pick it all back up when he hears the muffled sound of tires on soft dirt. Suddenly, his heart is in his throat as he watches the distinct headlights of his favorite Beamer turn into the clearing.

Eddie scrambles to his feet, he has a plan to carry out.

He watches, heart in his throat as Steve parks. Watches as the door opens and Steve emerges, a sweet, sheepish smile on his face.

“Sorry I’m late.” Steve looks like a dream. He clearly went home and had a shower and a change of clothes. He’s wearing light wash jeans that hug his thighs and a soft looking, deep red sweater, the collar of a white dress shirt peeking out from underneath. He’s dressed up for Eddie.

There’s a long pause where Eddie forgets how to speak and Steve just stands there, clearly waiting for Eddie to make a move. Eddie comes back to himself all at one, shaking his head hard like a dog, making Steve let out a startled laugh. “What the hell?” He asks, not mean, but bemused. 

“My deepest apologies my liege, I was simply stunned by your beauty,” he says with a half bow, extending his arm for Steve to take. “It is my pleasure to welcome you to Cafe Munson, the finest pop up restaurant this side of Indiana.” It’s goofy and a little ridiculous but Steve takes the offered arm with a little smile, sending a pleasant jolt through his body. 

Eddie leads Steve toward the open back of the van, watching him intently as he takes it in. He gets to see as the Omega’s eyes go wide, mouth parting in a little gasp. When he turns to look at Eddie, he’s already looking back. “You did this for me?” He asks, wonder coloring his voice. All of a sudden Eddie feels a little shy, a little sheepish.

“I know it’s not much, I’m not exactly liquid at the moment, but I wanted to do something nice for you,” he says, unoccupied arm reaching up to tug a piece of hair over his mouth. Steve looks at him for a long moment before turning back to the van. There are blankets everywhere, pretty much every one from the house plus a couple he nicked from Gareth’s house after practice. The emergency pillar lights from the pantry give the space a soft glow, paper hearts hang from string from the metal roof, and a repurposed laundry basket full of tupperwares and miller lites sits in the center.

“It’s perfect” Steve says, and Eddie can’t help but believe him. Not when his scent is blooming, cinnamon roll sweet, right under Eddie’s nose.

Eddie leads him to the van, gives him his hand to help him into the back. He takes a moment to take it all in, Steve Harrington settling into a date with Eddie Munson. It’s his biggest dream come true. 

He climbs in after the other boy and starts pulling out tupperwares. Steve has settled in to lean on the wall of pillows Eddie constructed for just this reason, pulling a blanket over the both of them when Eddie settles in next to him. Steve laughs with every overly dramatic introduction he makes for the food, and Eddie doesn’t think he’s ever been this warm. Neither of them brings up why they’re here, the underlying meaning behind it all. They dance around it, laughing about the kids, Steve’s sports and Eddie’s games, the look on Principle Higgin’s face when he burst into the gym earlier that day. The whole place smells like cinnamon and smoke, Eddie doesn’t think there’s a better smell in the whole world.

They don’t say a thing about courting or mating or scents until they polish off their cold pasta, courtesy of Wayne, and Eddie pulls out the last tupperware from the bottom of the laundry basket. “And for dessert, may I have a drumroll please….” Steve rolls his eyes but smiles as he complies, drumming a little beat with fingers on the side of the van. Eddie pulls out the container with a flourish, “The finest peanut butter brownies $3.15 worth of ingredients from Melvald’s can get you.” He expects laughter, maybe some light teasing as Steve has been shown to enjoy throughout the night, but all he gets is silence. 

He worries, for a moment, that he got it wrong. Maybe Steve doesn’t like peanut butter brownies. Jesus H Christ, maybe he’s allergic to peanuts and Eddie has just massively fucked this up. He’s getting ready to spiral and try to fix it when Steve speaks, voice soft in a way Eddie can’t place.

“Those are my favorites,” he says. When Eddie is brave enough to look at his face again, he’s met with wet, adoring eyes. Eddie doesn't know if anyone has ever looked at him like that before. Like he was something magical. Something special just for them.

Eddie clears his throat when Steve doesn’t say anything else. Just keeps staring at him like he’s waiting for something big. “Yeah, yeah I know,” he says, bracing himself for what comes next. “I uh, I saw you buy some at the club fair last year. You bought three of them and then came back for one more before they closed the booth.” It shouldn’t be such a big admission, but it feels like he’s just handed Steve his heart on a silver platter.

“Eddie?” Steve asks, turning toward him fully.

“Yeah?” Eddie asks, sitting up so they’re eye to eye.

“What you said, on the basketball court, will you ask me again?” He’s looking at him with so much hope in his eyes, Eddie almost feels like he could choke on it. Instead, he focuses in on the perfect scent of the man next to him, breathes steadily in and out.

“It would be the honor of my life to court you with the intention of mating, Steve Harrington.” As he says it, he reaches into his pocket for his last offering, his hail mary pass, his death saving throw. It’s a silly thing, cost his last 30 cents at the stationary store, but he was listening to Robin on those bleachers that day. Knows that the gesture and the picnic are all well and good, but what Steve has been missing with all those other Alphas is someone who notices the small details and holds them close. Someone who cares about his C+ in History, someone who knows his favorite brownies are swirled with peanut butter.

Someone who notices that he lost his eraser last week and has been meaning to pick up a new one.

Eddie holds out his heart one last time, it’s shaped like a 30 cent eraser. White and covered with a paper band. The best one on the market.

Steve stares at the little eraser like it contains the answers to the universe, and then he’s plucking it, oh so gently, out of his hands and cradling it in his own. Eddie waits, the ball is completely in Steve’s court now, Eddie has played all his cards.

Suddenly, Steve scent starts to bloom, even more than it did when he first saw the van. The smell of sugar, cinnamon, and yeast so strong it makes Eddie feel light headed. Eddie gets a glimpse of the most beautiful smile in the world just before Steve is throwing his arm around his neck, nudging his way into his lap to notch his head right at Eddie’s scent gland. Eddie’s arms instinctually wrap around his back, keeping him close.

“Yes,” Steve says, the sound of it muffled by the soft skin of Eddie’s neck. Eddie squeezes him tight, knows he needs to ask, just to make sure but worried he’s hallucinating. Scared to believe he’s getting everything he’s ever wanted.

“Yes?” He asks, lips trembling where they’ve found their own place at Steve’s neck, wanting to be as close as possible, just in case.

“Yes.” And Steve is pulling back, which Eddie hates, and cupping his face in is hands. “It would be the honor of my life to accept your courting offer, Eddie Munson,” he says, sure and steady and full to the brim of hope.

“Holy shit.” Eddie can’t believe this is happening. Despite all the planing and the performing and the putting his heart on the line he never actually let himself think that this would happen. Never let himself think about how it would end.

Without much though Eddie barrels forward to bury his head back into the Omega’s neck, his Omega’s neck, peppering him with fervent little kisses until Steve is giggling so hard he tips them over into the pile of pillows behind him. Eddie is full to the brim with joy, happier than he’s ever been and all of a sudden he needs to move. Needs to let the whole world know what he’s got in the palm of his hands.

He jolts up with one last kiss to Steve’s cheek, managing a quick “be right back!” before he launching himself out of the van. He hears Steve calling out in confusion, but it quickly turns into more joyous laughter as Eddie steps out of the van and starts jumping in place, punching the air and whooping into the night sky.

“Fuck you Hawkins! I’m courting Steve Harrington! I’m on top of the God Damn world!” He gets in one last double bird in the general direction of Main Street before Steve is calling him back in.

“Ok, you’ve had your moment. Now get your ass back in here and kiss me for real, you dumb Alpha,” he says, laughter still caught in his throat. And really? Who is Eddie do deny a request like that?

So excited for MMM, guys! I won't be doing every day, but I will be doing at lest a couple of full one shots and some of my normal ramblings. (Also, this is the longest thing I've ever written that wasn't an academic paper and I am low key very proud of myself)

[themintman]

Anyway back to space dog

[shatcey]

Lover Contract (Victor)

I will not make summary… there is not much plot in this story. They came to this club (for lovers only), noticed the guy they needed to check out, and… look around a bit. That's all. But… Kate and Victor had interesting (even philosophical) thoughts, and I would like to reflect on them…

But before that… Victor spoils us a lot with his gentle expression at this event. And… because of that, it took me longer than usual to read it… I just couldn't help but stare at him..

(smiles tenderly) He's so cute…

The post turned out to be quite big. Like like my theory post… very big. I am surprised myself. But I mentioned that I liked this event, even though it didn't have much plot, it contained a lot of interesting thoughts and made me think. More than usual… if that even possible.

They came to this club to confirm that one of the Prime Council member is having an affair. And they noticed him right away… Victor was contemplating…

Despite the fact that he seems to be a person who sees everything only in white and black… bad or good… He doesn't divide people based on that. In his eyes, they are all the same. Friends or foes… they all are just people. The only reason he decided he had to use this information against the guy… because he needs to protect Crown. If he didn't have to, what would he decide? I wondering…

And after that, they noticed another acquaintance… The guy who is famous for being a faithful husband and even making speeches about it… But it turned out that he has a mistress.

Victor looks extremely angry here. That's not the right word… he looks at the guy with disdain. The fact that someone is cheating annoys him, as if for some reason it is very personal to him. Had someone betrayed him? Had someone betrayed his loved ones?

At the very end of the main part of the story… Kate… looking at all these unfaithful spouses thinking out loud…

After everything she'd seen… unsurprisingly, she began to doubt…

He's fascinated by love in general. I have a feeling it has something to do with his curse… Freedom and love… All fairy tales are about at least one of these concepts, but they're usually about protoganist, not antoganist. Was there antagonist somewhere who did bad things for love??? I… don't remember… If ANY love is "fascinating"… As Ally said in the Chocolate event, "everything is fair in love and war." It must be somehow related… No, I still can't catch that thought…

A long sentence on the middle screenshot… can be not entirely correct. I found a very interesting dictionary. It's quite easy to split a sentence into words. BUT… most languages have a very strict order of words in a sentence. And if you know this order, you can easily understand that the part of the speech every word should be. But… there are no special restrictions in my native language… as you may have noticed, I'm constantly playing with words.So, out of habit, I could interpret these words as I see fit. Even adjust it to my thoughts. There was a question in the original text, but it was in the middle. But to make it sound more logical, I changed the sentence to this.

And this wording of his makes me think that he is not a human. He talks about them as if he is just an observer… and has nothing to do with them…

And here we go… What he said earlier was… just a fact, and he doesn't judge others, this it their life. But personally he doesn't like cheating. Nice to know.

Bitter ending

After a short walk (I don't see the point in telling you what happened there, it's not relevant) they return back to the main hall. Kate is thirsty (I wonder why), Vivi notices this and orders drinks.

Well, he's a second Gilly-bee. He probably knows more about you than you know yourself…

I played with the words again, but it seems more correct than what the mechanical translation suggested to me. So… she feels like he's far away… for many reasons: age, experience, knowledge, status… But he takes it literally. The distance. We learned from the LINE campaign that he has been looking out for her from a DISTANCE for a very long time. And… he feels lonely because even though he is with her right now, she still thinks he is far away.

If I had read this BEFORE the LINE campaign, perhaps I would have interpreted these words as his usual sad thoughts about loneliness. But now everything is completely different. And in the next part, he literally says it. He took her hand and told her that he was here with her. And he's "just like her." It's a very peculiar wording. I'm not going to talk about it now. I'm more happy about the next part. He never considered himself free.

He FINALLY admitted it. Where it was… in one of my theory posts… I was talking about freedom… here. It was pretty obvious, but Vivi had never confirmed it before… But here… he really became more open, more… naked, as he said in the epilogue… It was as if he no longer had the desire to remain an observer with her… It feels like we're already in the middle of his route. I'll explain why I think so later.

Kate had an interesting thought…

It makes me think about that damn…. fish… again… I know she's not a fish, she's kind of humanoid. Thatever! The mermaid is not the villain in this story… She's a victim. A victim of betrayal. She suffers from the moment she fell in love until the very end. But… It seems that everything fits too well into the story… And the fact that he takes care of her from a distance, and the fact that he used to be free, but no anymore… It's just too similar. Annoying so. Calm down, girl, it's too early to riled up. But if his curse is that damn fish, I'll scream!

And the fact that Kate either thinks of him that way, or already knows about it… It seems that this is already his route.

Premium ending

We talked for a while on the balcony. After Kate said that she now considers love to be freer than she originally thought… Victor suddenly noticed.

IT'S SO CLOSE!!! But not quite. Oh, what a shame! If you don't understand what I'm implying, I've written about it here.

And after Kate asks, "What kind of love is Victor looking for?"

I don't need Harrison to confirm this, it's obvious that he's lying. Well… he wasn't lying, but he wasn't completely honest either. Yes, he's obsessed with taking care of everyone, but… It's more like… a habit. I don't know… or… unfulfilled desire… Projection, maybe?… No one cared about him, so he's doing this for others?........

Kate was more honest when Vivi asked her the same question. She said that despite the fact she had seen many very strange expressions of love today… and she began to understand the difficulties associated with spending her life with one person, but…

It's a very sweet dream… And look at him… he fully shares her dream. But he decided to NOT said it out loud and pretend to be a clown again. Sad…

Don't talk like it's not going to be you or… to be completely honest… already you.

In the epilogue, she thought that she wants Vivi to love her, and the way her heart stops all the time is a great hint of this as well. SO… we are already in the middle of his route. BUT it hasn't been released yet. The paradox.

I will only mention this from the epilogue…

Now I'm curious to see…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

🔝 𝕊𝕋𝔸ℝ𝕋 ℙ𝔸𝔾𝔼 🔝

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[thefandombringer]

Season 3 Milkvan is not nearly as cute as I remembered it being 4 years ago

So I’m rewatching s3 for the first time in a hot minute because I remembered that being the most milkvan heavy season but what I’ve realized in this rewatch is that there is not a single scene between Mike and El where Mike does not have to put up some sort of facade. We see a lot of Mike’s genuine character in the first two seasons, especially when he is happy (playing D&D with the party, spending time with his friends and Will) so we as an audience can tell that all the times where Mike appears happy in season 3—especially in scenes with El—are NOT Mike’s genuine personality.

Im not sure quite how to explain it, but the main scenes that come to mind are the opening scene with them making out in El’s bedroom, Mike’s phone call to El when he lies about his Nana, and the scene in the pool with that human dummy thing. Two of these are scenes where Mike is supposedly happy and joking around with El, but they have a very superficial vibe to them—which will be the first . I’m pretty sure that anyone can clock those moments if they watch those on their own but, as someone that does a lot of acting, mannerism and vocal inflection shifts are key when playing different characters. The way Mike holds himself and delivers his lines do not feel like the same Mike that we grew to know and love in the earlier seasons and, since Finn is obviously not a terrible actor (he is, in fact, quite a good actor), we as the audience are meant to realize that Mike is not being his true self or, in other words, playing another character. He can’t be his genuine self around El (which is also demonstrated very very clearly in season 4 but this shows that these issues did not come out of nowhere), which heavily contrasts the other significant relationships in the show, especially throughout season 3 (Jancy, Jopper, Lumax) who are their authentic selves with each other and are able to bicker and match each other’s energies while still very clearly loving each other. Milkvan is not like them, and not in a good way.

The second portion of this (and why I mentioned the phone call scene) is the fact that Mike talks to her like he has to dumb himself down/like she is much younger and unable to understand how he would talk to her normally. I really don’t has a way to describe this other than just recommending that you watch those scenes again to see what I mean. It’s obvious that he cares about her and really does enjoy talking to her, but in a way that I would talk to my younger siblings/cousins. Is this how a healthy relationship should seem? I certainly hope not. This is doubled by the fact where in that one interview (I have no idea where to find it so if someone has it please link it!!) Finn says that when he first met El, it was like taking in an alien like in ET. Again, not very romantic. It is also explicitly shown that this is not how everyone talks to El, so it’s not like she can’t understand the standard level of conversation. Such a big emphasis on El and Max’s friendship and the fact that Max treats El as an equal and helps her find her own personality instead of babying El and keeping her sheltered and controlled. She can be treated like a regular person and is so much better for it. She’s not you pet, Michael.

Notice how both of these major problems are never found between Mike and Will. All of their conversations and interactions within the show are 100% genuine and authentic and never feel superficial or forced. Their relationship is also taken much more seriously throughout the whole show when contrasted to Milkvan, but that’s a whole separate post. Mike and Will’s fights are serious and real, while Mike and El’s (with the exception of the “From Mike” fight, which is pretty telling) are comedic and surface level and played for laughs.

BYLER ENDGAME BYLER ENDGAME

[brookediamonds]

Can I request a Larusso reader x Axel where reader has been competing all her life and is a three time female champion of the sakai takai and already dating Axel but when it comes time to get ready for the sakai takai Daniel automatically gives the captain spot to Sam. So reader decides to join the Iron Dragons and becomes the female captain but Silver has sinister plans for her since he knows who her dad is and uses training methods like Wolf does for Axel and tries to break her mentally. When that doesn't work during the brawl he sees a chance to get revenge and makes sure the other dragons aren't near her and the cobras(minus Tory) decide to use the chance to try to get their revenge on her(since she managed to beat most of them in the team fights) and Axel notices and he sees her get attacked and him and Tory(who if possible was reader's best friend) jump in and even the odd

growing pains | Axel Kovačević x Fem! Reader

Summary: As a 3x Sekai Taikai girls' champion, you embark on new friendships, relationships, and even sponsorships. Being a legacy kid to Daniel LaRusso came with a territory and when it's time for one of the most important tournaments, your dad has decided to strip you of your title leaving to make a life-changing decision your friends and family never saw coming.

Word Count: 4k Warnings: none, angst, fluff, violence (fighting)

gif is not mine

You stare at your reflection in the mirror, hands tightening around the fabric of your black belt as you secure it around your waist.

The green gi of the Iron Dragons feels foreign on your skin, a reminder that everything is different now.

That the life you spent building, the titles you fought for, the legacy you were meant to claim, it’s all slipping through your fingers.

You still remember the way you felt when your dad informed you you'd be sitting this tournament out as the girls' captain.

"You're not even gonna let me fight for it?" You questioned your dad as Miguel and Robby prepared to fight for the male captain spot.

"Y/n, you've been the captain the last three times, and won every tournament," your dad attempts to justify. "It's always just been you and now we need to give the other girls here a chance."

You exhale sharply, shaking the thoughts away. Later that day when you were on FaceTime with your boyfriend, Axel, his sensei overheard the conversation and offered you the spot you had lost.

You were reluctant at first, but the more you and Axel talked into the night, the more you had become convinced.

It was perfect, you pretended you would still fight with Miyagi-Do and by the time you arrived in Barcelona, Axel introduced you to sensei Wolf.

Sensei Wolf easily remembered you, you being the 3x girls' champion of the Sekai Taikai. It was almost a little too perfect.

As you go to pull your hair back, you feel a presence behind you, the familiar warmth of someone stepping into your space without hesitation.

"You’re missing something," Axel’s deep voice rumbles low against your ear.

Before you can respond, his hands reach up, sliding a soft piece of fabric over your forehead. Your breath stills as he gently ties the captain's headband into place, one that matches his.

The knot is secure, firm, as if he’s anchoring you in place, reminding you who you are.

"That's better," he states leaning down to press a soft kiss to the top of your head.

"They'll never understand," you spoke quietly, eyes lingering on your new uniform. "Did you see my dad's face when he saw me?"

You'd never forget the look of betrayal on his face, the look of disappointment on your sister's face. It was almost enough to make you rethink everything.

"You are just doing what's best for you," Axel reminds you, softly laying his hands on your shoulders. "You want to be a Legacy, right?"

You nod, your eyes connecting with his through the mirror in front of you. "I do. More than anything."

Sam could have the LaRusso-Miyagi legacy. You wanted your own.

---------------------------------------------------------

The first few days of the tournament are chaotic to say the least, you surely hadn't anticipated fighting your sister and best friend all in one round.

Luckily you were used to the categories of the individual fights, the bo-staff competition, and the platform challenges.

Having your boyfriend of three years as your partner definitely helped, together you two strived through everything.

Not to mention it had been a few months since you last saw him during summer break, and having a hotel room not too far from each other's had its perks.

Axel’s hands are firm yet gentle as they hold you close, his lips moving against yours with a slow, unhurried intensity.

It’s been too long since you last saw him in person, and you can feel it in the way he's kissing you, like he’s trying to make up for lost time.

You shift slightly in his lap, one of his hands slipping under the hem of your shirt, fingers tracing lazy patterns along your spine.

Just as you start to deepen the kiss, your phone buzzes on the nightstand beside you. You try to ignore it, but it keeps vibrating, the sound persistent.

Axel groans against your lips when you pull away, his hands tightening on your waist.

"Seriously?" he mutters, pressing his forehead against yours.

"It could be important," you murmur, reaching for your phone.

"It’s not," he grumbles, already leaning in to steal another kiss.

You giggle, barely managing to check the screen as he tugs you back toward him. Squinting at the message, you read:

Tory 🥊🖤:  You and lover boy wanna grab drinks? Bar near the hotel. Come on, don’t be boring.

Axel takes the opportunity to press his lips to your jaw, then lower, trailing down the side of your neck. You shiver, biting your lip as you try to type out a response.

"Axel," you half-scold, trying not to laugh as he ignores your attempt at seriousness.

He exhales against your skin, clearly annoyed.

"What could possibly be more important than this?" His voice is low, almost teasing, as his fingers squeeze at your waist.

You turn the screen toward him. "Tory wants to meet up at a bar near the hotel."

Axel barely glances at the message before shaking his head.

"Tell her no."

You roll your eyes, already typing. "We should go. It'll be fun."

He huffs, leaning back against the pillows. "I have a better idea. We stay right here, and you put that phone away."

"Tempting, but I already told her we’re coming," you smirk, placing the phone back not the nightstand.

Axel groans dramatically, dropping his head back. "You’re killing me, Y/n."

"You’ll survive," you respond pressing a quick kiss to his cheek, grinning.

He gives you a long, suffering look before exhaling sharply, running a hand through his hair.

"Fine. But I’m not moving unless I get one more kiss," he counters.

Laughing, you lean in, pressing your lips to his once more. He pulls you in tighter, dragging it out longer than necessary, because if he’s getting up, he’s making the most of this first.

And honestly, you don’t mind one bit.

---------------------------------------------------------

After managing to pull the brooding boy out of bed, you two throw on some fresh clothes and meet your friend at the place she sent you.

You lean into Axel’s side in the booth, sipping your drink as Tory eyes the two of you with a smirk.

"You kicked my ass out there," she says bluntly, her thumb tapping against the rim of her glass.

"I'm sorry," you wince remembering the way you took her down to the mat on the very first challenge. You hold your hand out in front of you. "Friends?"

She let out a laugh smacking your outstretched hand way knowing this wasn't personal.

The three of you talk about how intense the competition is this year compared to the last three you've been to, and how nice Barcelona has been.

When it's time for round 2, Axel offers to grab the drinks, leaving you and Tory to talk amongst yourselves.

"How's it going with them?" She asks curious as to what your new team was like.

"It's going pretty good so far," you shrug. "Their sensei is a little intense, but I can handle him."

Tory glances at a table across from you where your sister and her boyfriend sat.

"Have you talked to... Sam and them?" She asks hesitantly.

You sighed leaning back in the booth, swirling the straw around in your melted cocktail. "Yes and no. They want to understand but can't grasp the fact that I would go so far as to join another team."

"My dad knew that winning this year could mean a spot for me on the Sekai Taikai board as a Legacy," you huffed. "This wasn't just a hobby to me, this is my life."

Tory stares at you with remorse, knowing the tears, sweat, and blood you poured in to karate.

"You're gonna be a Legacy," she assures you, reaching her hand out on the table. "We're going to get you a spot on the board."

You give her small smile at her words of encouragement.

"And we're gonna get you those sponsorships," you promise her laying your hand over hers.

Just then, Axel returns, setting down a fresh round of drinks with an effortless ease.

"Alright, what did I miss?" he asks, sliding in beside you again, his arm naturally draping over the back of the booth.

You and Tory share a look of knowing, both silently agreeing together you'd push yourselves through this tournament to get what you both needed.

----------------------------------------------------------

The next morning, you and the rest of your team are called to the studio to practice before the competition begins.

"Y/n," sensei Wolf calls out to you.

"Yes, sensei," you straighten up as he walks over to you and Axel.

"Follow me, there's someone I want you to work with while you are here," he says coolly, turning on his heel.

You look over at Axel who just shrugs at you, not knowing why you're being called to another room.

Following Wolf, you trail behind him as he leads you to a separate studio lined up with mirrors.

As you scanned the room, your eyes land on a familiar, looming presence standing with his back to you.

You recognized the silver hair slicked back into a ponytail, dressed in his usual black attire.

Terry Silver.

Your stomach tightens as he turns to face you, a slow, knowing smirk tugging at his lips.

"Y/n LaRusso," he greets, his voice smooth, calculated. "It’s about time we officially met."

You can hear your dad's voice in your head. Run. Get out of there.

"I can't say the same," you snap back. After everything he's done to your family, your friends, you wanted nothing more than kick him in the face.

His smirk deepens. "I have to say, I was surprised when I heard you joined the Iron Dragons. Then again, it seems you’ve finally realized what your father never could. True power isn’t about balance. It’s about dominance."

You clench your jaw but say nothing. He takes your silence as an invitation, stepping closer.

"You want that Legacy seat, don’t you?" he muses, circling you now like a predator sizing up its prey. "You’ve worked for it your entire life. But tell me… are you really ready to do what it takes?"

You bristle at the implication. "I’ve won three world championships. I know what it takes."

Silver chuckles, shaking his head. "No, you know what it takes to win the right way. But the right way isn’t always the winning way."

You furrowed your eyebrows at his words but before you can respond, he grabs a nearby bo staff from the rack and twirls it effortlessly between his fingers.

"Let’s see what you’ve got," he says, tossing it toward you.

Instinctively, you catch it, gripping it tightly. You watch cautiously as Silver steps onto the mat in front of you, his own staff in hand.

"Show me your best," he instructs.

You don’t hesitate, you lunge forward, aiming a quick, precise strike toward his midsection.

But Silver deflects it easily, countering with a swift, powerful strike to your ribs. You barely block it in time, your arms vibrating from the impact.

"Too slow," he taunts. "Again."

You grit your teeth, adjusting your stance, and swing at him with more force. But the moment you do, he sidesteps—crack!

The staff slams against your thigh, hard enough to send a jolt of pain radiating up your leg. You stagger, inhaling sharply.

"You hesitate," Silver says, his tone unreadable. "That’s the problem with Miyagi-Do. Too much defense, not enough action. In this tournament, hesitation gets you beaten. Gets you forgotten."

You tighten your grip, forcing yourself to push through the sting.

"I don’t hesitate," you say, trying to sound firm, but even you can hear the slight wavering in your voice.

Silver smirks knowingly. "Then prove it."

He attacks again, and this time, you block. Barely. But before you can counter, he sweeps your legs out from under you with a swift, merciless strike, sending you crashing to the mat.

Pain explodes through your back, but before you can recover, Silver crouches beside you, his voice low.

"You’re skilled, Y/n. But skill won’t get you that seat at the table." His eyes gleam with something almost sinister. "The Sekai Taikai rewards strength. Ruthlessness. You want to be remembered? You want that power? Then fight like it."

His words sink in, cutting deeper than the bruises forming on your skin.

You’ve spent your life proving yourself, showing the world that you’re more than just Daniel LaRusso’s daughter.

But now, for the first time… you wonder if your way is enough.

As Silver rises and steps back, you stay on the mat for a moment longer, gripping the bo staff so tightly your knuckles turn white.

And for the first time… you hesitate.

------------------------------------------------------

It's the day of the finals, a team has been eliminated due to their students using steroids, and both Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai have managed to stay in the competition.

"What's wrong?" Axel asks pulling you to the side. "You've been spaced out since yesterday. What's going on?"

You exhaled out a shaky breath as you see Kwon and the Furia De Pantera captain fight on the mat.

"I'm worried," you voiced. "I'm worried that if I don't win this, everything I've put my family, and friends through, will all be for nothing."

You were especially worried about having Silver on your side. Of course your dad and sister tried talking some sense into you, but it was only for a few days. Surely you could handle whatever he threw at you... right?

Axel studies you, silent for a moment. Then, with a sigh, he steps closer, placing both hands on your shoulders. His warmth seeps through your gi, steadying you.

"You listen to me," he says firmly. "You’ve always been a champion. You always will be. I knew that the second I saw you fight when we were fourteen."

A small, almost nostalgic smile tugs at his lips. "Back then, you stormed up to me after your win and said, 'Guess we have to be friends now.'" 

You laugh at his words while he chuckles, shaking his head.

"You had that same fire in you then that you do now. You weren’t scared of me, of the competition, hell, of anything. And that’s never changed."

You bite your lip, something warm blooming in your chest despite the nerves still coiling in your stomach.

"You're going to win this. Not for your dad, or your dojo, or for anyone else. Not even for that seat on the board. You're going to win because you love this, and that has always been enough," he finishes.

The tension in your shoulders eases just slightly. You nod taking in his final words.

"I'd kiss you right now, but—" you cut him off by tugging him down by his gi, smashing his lips down to yours. He barely has time to react before sinking into it, his hands gripping your waist.

When you finally pull away, breathless, you whisper, "Thank you."

Axel exhales a small chuckle, brushing his thumb over your cheek as you gazed up at him lovingly.

"Next up is Y/n L/n versus Maria Àlvarez!"

Mr. Braun’s voice booms over the speakers, snapping you both back to reality. Axel smirks, giving your waist one final squeeze before stepping back.

"Go show them why you’re the best."

And with his words still burning in your chest, you go step onto the mat ignoring the world around you. Your focus was primarily on your opponent in yellow, you could do this.

The referee has you bow to him, then to each other before signaling to begin.

Maria comes at you immediately, a blur of movement as she aims a spinning kick toward your ribs.

You block with ease, countering with a swift backfist to her shoulder: one point.

She resets, bouncing lightly on her feet, trying to read you. You feint right, making her flinch, and use the opening to land a clean sidekick to her chest: two points.

The match continues at a brutal pace, but you stay ahead, striking efficiently, dodging effortlessly.

Every movement is controlled, calculated, perfectly balanced. By the end of the first round, the score reads:

Y/n: 5 Maria: 1

You breathe deeply, satisfied with your performance, until you make your way toward the sidelines.

Terry Silver’s arms are crossed, an unreadable expression on his face. But his disappointment is clear.

As soon as you step off the mat for the short break, he moves toward you, voice low but sharp enough to cut through the noise of the arena.

"Five points?" he scoffs. "You could’ve ended that in the first thirty seconds."

You tighten your jaw. "I’m controlling the fight."

Silver steps closer, eyes cold. "That’s your problem, LaRusso. Always so worried about control. About balance. You’re holding back."

"I’m winning," you fought, eyebrows furrowed.

"But you’re not fighting."

He leans in, his voice dropping to a sinister whisper. "Lose that balance crap your father taught you and actually fight. Make her fear you."

Your heart pounds in your chest. The referee calls you back to the mat for Round Two.

Maria looks fired up, her eyes locked on you with renewed determination. But something shifts inside you.

The moment the round starts, you don’t just defend, you attack.

You sidestep her opening punch and drive your knee into her ribs: Two points. 

She stumbles, gasping, and you press forward, slamming your forearm into her shoulder before sweeping her legs out from under her: Three points.

You hear Silver’s words in your head. Make her fear you.

Maria scrambles to her feet, eyes flashing with frustration. She lunges, but you’re faster.

You pivot, spinning into a brutal roundhouse kick. The impact lands perfectly, snapping her head to the side.

A sickening crack is heard throughout the area as you watch a small, white fragment fly through the air before hitting the mat.

Her tooth.

Maria drops to her knees, a hand flying to her mouth, eyes wide with shock. The buzzer chimes just in time, stopping the fight momentarily. The arena is a mix of cheers and horrified gasps.

Your chest tightens. Your breath feels trapped.

You couldn't believe you just did that.

You take a step back, suddenly aware of the raw power in your own limbs. Your fists feel heavier. The taste of victory turns bitter in your mouth.

Maria wipes her lips, sees the blood on her fingers, and glares at you.

The fight isn’t over.

You make your way back to Silver and sensei Wolf, a look of accomplishment on Silver's face.

"That's what I'm talking about," he cheers raising a closed fist.

"I've never done that before," you say breathlessly.

"If you want to win," Silver smirks. "You'll do it again, and this time she won't get up."

His words send a chill down your spine, you glance over at Axel who stared at you with a look of worry.

"I can win without being aggressive, it's not who I am," you say finally putting your foot down.

You stand up straight as Silver leans in close to you, avoiding his gaze.

"If you don't knock her out, you can kiss that Legacy goodbye."

You swallow the lump in your throat, his threat has stuck a chord within you. The ref signals it's time for the final round, you make your way back to the middle, shaking your uneasiness out.

"Fight!"

This time, you hesitate.

The aggression from before is gone, replaced by an unsettling feeling in your gut. Maria takes advantage.

She lunges, landing a sharp hook to your ribs: one point.

A second later, she whips around with a fast sidekick to your shoulder: another point.

The crowd erupts. She’s pushing back.

But despite your swirling thoughts, your instincts kick in. You shift into a defensive stance, watching, waiting, and then counter.

Maria moves in, and you strike.

A precise jumping front kick snaps her head back: Two points.

A lightning-fast spinning backfist: Three points.

The buzzer sounds.

Final Score: Y/n: 15 | Maria: 4

You won.

The referee lifts your arm, but you barely hear the cheers. Your gaze flickers to Silver on the sidelines. He's glaring at you, but you ignore him.

When you've made your way back to the side, he's hot on your heels ready to fire down on you.

"You can't change where I come from," you spat turning swiftly to face him. "I can be a champion and still win the right way."

Silver chuckles darkly making your stomach twist as he closes in on you.

"You still have one more fight," he reminds you. "And if you don't demolish Nichols on that mat, if you show her mercy... you will lose everything."

He walks off leaving you to stand there in your thoughts. Axel brushes past him, greeting you with a small smile.

"You did it," he cheers coming up to rest his hands on your shoulders. "Just one more fight."

You give him a half-smile, not completely convinced there would be another fight.

"It's your turn," you say averting the focus back to your boyfriend. "Go win your fight so we have something to celebrate about tonight."

He smirks down at you, giving you a nod. "Yes, ma'am."

Axel is matched to fight Robby, and if he won he would fight Kwon from Cobra Kai.

You're a little nervous to see your old team standing across from you on the mat, and your dad and sister can't help but spare you glances.

When the fight begins it's all Robby, he's trying to strike and kick every which way against Axel, but your co-captain is precise and fluid with his blocks.

The minute Axel begins to fight back, Robby is struggling to hold on and defend.

And then the unthinkable happens. You're not sure how it starts, but when Axel kicks Robby into one of the guys from Cobra Kai, they get into each others faces and all hell breaks lose.

The teams begin to swarm out on to the mat, and everyone starts fighting each other. Before you can even process what's happening, you suddenly feel yourself being tugged backwards, before your back hits the floor.

You're farther from the rest of your team, and whoever was pulling at you is now gone. Standing up, you glance around the chaos, looking for anyone you know in sight.

Spotting your sister, you attempt to make your way through the sea of teens when you're suddenly surrounded by black gi's.

"You are supposed to fight Tory next," the Cobra Kai captain sneers taking a step towards you. "Let's make sure she can't."

The four boys begin to attack you, throwing kicks and punches at your body.

The first strike comes fast, a sharp kick aimed at your ribs. You block just in time, but another follows, a fist barely missing your face as you jerk back.

They're relentless, attacking in unison, giving you no room to breathe.

You fight back the best you can, dodging, countering, but four against one is impossible to keep up with.

A kick lands hard against your side, making you stumble. Another blow clips your shoulder.

Your body screams in protest, but you grit your teeth, refusing to go down.

Then, through the crowd, a familiar voice cuts through the noise.

"GET OFF OF HER!"

Before the next strike can land, Axel is there.

He shoves one of the Cobra Kai guys away from you, his fist colliding with another’s jaw in a sickening crack.

You feel yourself being helped up, your best friend has come to your side, her wide brown eyes scanning you.

"You alright?" Tory asks keeping you close to her.

"I'm good," you nod, squeezing her hand in reassurance. "Thanks."

The three of you begin to fight back together, Kwon is upset by the betrayal of his co-captain, and now targets everyone.

Somehow you manage to takedown one of the Cobra’s with Tory’s help and Axel has defeated the captain.

Axel stands by your side as Kwon lays on the ground, knocked out cold. Your fingers find his instinctively, and he laces his through yours without hesitation, his grip firm, and steady.

You glance up at him, bruised, breathless, but still managing a slight smile.

"My hero," you murmur, voice just above a whisper.

Axel huffs out a small laugh, shaking his head as his free hand comes up to brush a stray strand of hair from your face. 

He tilts his head down pressing a soft kiss to your temple making you feel warm and safe.

Your heart is still hammering against your ribs, the adrenaline making it hard to think. But through the haze of everything, the chaos, the pain, the uncertainty, Axel squeezes your hand.

You're not sure where you'll go from here, and what drawing back from the final fight could mean for your future, but you knew one thing is for certain:

You’re not alone in this.

---------------------------------------------------------

Masterlist

taglist: @grggcribg

[anpanman95]

Okay so I couldn’t wait for this I’m sorry. I need to talk about it because we might not get any answers any time soon — so I’ll create them.

Bear with me for a little while

Who is behind this?

My first suspect is Boss, for obvious reasons, but let’s think about it a little more.

Aside from the fact Yinwar are not that predictable, Boss has literally no motive to go after Jack/Joke at all, even if he hates them. He shouldn’t have any reason to want to hurt them cause his main desire is power. Money and power. How will he get power and money by kidnapping/keeping Joke hostage?

So here is my other guess. I’m sorry if this ruffles some feathers, but literally anyone could be behind this, knowing what Yinwar are capable of.

Apologies in advance, I’m gonna be brutal.

I suspect Nang and Rose

I know, I know, just hear me out

1. No auspicious date? Tragedy? I stand with Joke when he said “this is simply ridiculous”

Do you remember the last time Yinwar introduced a crazy, ridiculous idea (The Ring and its “power”), that ended up being false? (It was all a game from the Four Horsemen).

“you are also enemies” ?

My friend, they have literally never been enemies. Joke has never seen Jack as his enemy, not once. And Jack had never stopped caring for Joke, either. He had just been driven by anger and pain.

I understand they care a lot about this kind of thing in their culture, but the reasons P’Nang gave were simply not good enough. Telling them their union might become in tragedy? Why? Because they are enemies? They are NOT. They are literally NOT.

(my poor baby Jack fully believing it and Joke being outraged is the most accurate thing)

“You can’t be together” ?!? You’re telling me they’ve been engaged for a YEAR, and you choose this moment to tell them not to do it? Why are you dragging this out? Are you staling, perhaps??

I SAY SUS.

2. Rose not being helpful AT ALL.

I know she doesn’t really have any power, but what the fuck has she done to help them in this episode?

Girl did not lift one single finger except to try and hug Jack (yes that bitchy face did not escape me, Khun Rose)

My girl, I love you, but you could have done SO much more to help them. She didn’t do SHIT. Not ONE single useful thing.

Besides, everyone is talking about their loved ones being invited to this place, and then she casually says:

“It belongs to someone POWERFUL. Scarier and richer than Alice” — why would you say all that? Are you perhaps trying to pull them into a trap?

HUH? This brings me to the next one, actually.

3.How did everyone end up at the casino?

Let’s start with Nang’s scene learning how to drive. This scene irks me. She plants the “death” idea in Hoi, scaring him, unchaining the rest of the events.

Now, the rest of them:

Arun’s connection is his dad

Jack (and ultimately Joke)’s connection is grandma.

Hoi’s (and coincidentally Tattoo’s) connection is Nang.

Hoi is now scared

And loops Joke in to it.

More importantly, Nang gives the invitation to Hoi. Why did she give it to him?

Perhaps so he can show it to the rest? Tattoo, who eventually not only connects the dots for everyone to realize it’s a dangerous place, but also makes duplicates for all of them; to Joke, who realizes this might be the place where the stolen files went to, after Tattoo tells them it’s the same address Save sent them.

Also, did Nang go to this place, though? She was invited. Did Hoi tell her not to go? (I assume Jack stopped his grandmother from going. Arun might have done something similar, but then again, I’m not entirely discrediting boss as guilty)

Or did she actually go and we did not see her? You know, driving herself, as she now knows how to?

And WHY does she need to learn how to drive in the first place? And why didn’t we see where that ended? It felt so random, somehow. Does she need it cause she’ll be driving someone somewhere? Huh? Maybe to a house in the middle of nowhere? huh?

Last but not least,

4. Nang’s reaction to Joke ‘dying’

“If he didn’t die then it would have been you, Hoi” Excuse me, again, but why did anyone have to die? This is what I’m not getting.

How did Jack and Joke’s wedding result in someone dying? Is it because you don’t want this wedding to happen? Why could that be? Hmm?

It makes me wonder.

She also officiated the saddest, most depressing wedding of the century, and girl did not shed a single tear for a tragic dead of a friend. Not one single tear. That’s a biased opinion though.

….

Okay, now, why would they do this?

Well, Rose has a very obvious motive, everybody knows she might still have feelings for Jack.

Nang? Well, Nang will always be there for Rose. She cares for her, and let’s be real. They had a whole year to plan this out. Nang is always there for Rose, that much is clear. Even if that means breaking two people apart in the most horrible way.

Maybe they intended Joke to die and worked with carbon. Maybe they didn’t work with carbon and simply took advantage of the events to their benefit. Maybe they intended to abduct Joke all along.

Remember, it could be as simple as the person behind it being Boss, but Arun lives with him and how would he have not noticed his absence? Arun would have told his friends if his father disappeared or left somewhere.

And it doesn’t feel right. To me it wouldn’t make much sense that boss is the one behind this. I don’t think Yinwar will go down that route as it’d be too obvious. And so far, whenever they were obvious about something in the plot, they put it RIGHT on your face.

And another thing:

Joke’s reaction.

Joke looked both shocked and sad.

It leads me to believe it’s someone he knows and hadn’t expected to be there.

Look, I may be obviously wrong and they might be innocent, but I’m going out of my mind with grief at the moment and I need to analyze this shit to the bottom as a way to cope.

So, I know I might be missing a few things as I only watched properly once, so do let me know what you think. There is A LOT MORE to it, but my brain is all scrambled cause I only got these revelations an hour ago.

Do you guys think it makes a least a little bit of sense? Can you guys think of anyone else that might make sense other than Boss?

We can never be 100% sure, truthfully.

But if there’s one thing I do know, it’s that it’d be fucking awesome.

[kabr0ztrousers]

Hiya ! I love your posts, they are all amazing 🫠

I'm not sure if you're really into poly relationships, but i've got this on my mind for a while now.

Reader is dating two monsters, the monsters know each other since kids and get along very well, they are predators, they like to play with their mate as if she is a prey.

Someone tells her they'll eventually hurt her for real and now they're upset, to make her feel safe again, they decide to show off to the whole village how they take care of their mate (if you know what i mean 🫦).

Kabr0z Writes Episode 60: Beauty and the Beasts

Find the rest of the Kabr0z Writes anthology here!

CWs: Lashings of oral sex; public sex; exhibitionism; interspecies; knotting; enthusiastic consent; restraints;

A/N: This one sounds like fun, and it's not gonna kill me to write this one and the other I have planned to make up for missing Wednesday.

Plus I get to put out a little more exposition on why there are werewolves in a low-magic world. If there's one thing you've probably worked out about me, I love me some ✨Exposition✨

As always, requests go to the ask box or DMs so they're in the queue when I check it. I won't not do stuff asked for in comments or reblogs, but they won't be in the queue so they're very likely to fall through the cracks

##########################################

The year is 1670. Almost twenty years since everything changed. You were only a small girl then, when the sun darkened and the menfolk of your village changed. You remember them falling to the ground as bones cracked and rearranged, blood streaming from broken faces as snouts and muzzles replaced human mouths and noses, tails bursting from the smalls of their backs, and the fur spreading in patches to cover their skin. Then, the sky lightened again. Those who had changed picked themselves up, strong limbed and sharp toothed, but still themselves despite the monstrous form they had taken.

Other villages suffered the same, boys and men who saw the shadow over the sun turning into monsters. A royal decree came a week later. The changed men were to leave the towns, banished to the forests and woodlands where they would bother the women and the unchanged no longer. So it came to pass that the lupines were driven out. Most were never heard of again, but you still heard stories of children being born in villages with tails and fur, the get of the banished wolfmen.

You were approaching your twenty-fifth year. Despite them being banished you never lost touch with your close friends from youth, a pair of boys named Leo and Michael, if anything, you'd grown even closer to them over the years. You could well understand the tales of wolf-children being born.

Your rendezvous with them had not gone unnoticed either. The men of the village gave you a wide berth, not wanting to get too close to you for fear of your wolfen lovers. The women who would still speak with you warned you to no end that the lupines you cavorted with under the stars and the treetops would be the end of you. Of course, over the years, fewer and fewer women spoke to you. They were all getting married, their husbands forbidding them to consort with the strange woman of the village, warning their children away from you. Little by little, life in civilisation became quieter and quieter, lonelier and lonelier.

You head leant on Leo's belly, complaining about the villagers, gently stroking Michael's back as he topped off the cuddle pile. Michael's tail began to wag as you saw a mischievous grin spread over his features

"What are you thinking" you were starting to match his grin. Michael had the best plans

"Well, if you're miserable there, why not join us lupines? They see you as one of us, why not leave?"

You hummed, it's not like you hadn't thought about it "I don't want them using it as an excuse to come after you..."

Leo snorted "They wouldn't have waited if they weren't so scared of us, though I like the idea of giving them a show of things... They want to banish you? Let's give them a reason"

Michael's grin widened "I have an idea... Mind if Leo and I talk a few minutes alone? I wanna make this a surprise"

That's how you knew this was gonna be good. "Sure, I'll be by the river, need a piss anyway"

You took your time. You couldn't hear them over the flowing water, but you could see them discussing intently from your spot. Every time one of them spoke, the other would get more excited until they were both looking at you. You stood up, letting your skirts cover your ankles again as you walked back to them "Made a decision?"

"Yeah, just about... Oh, one quick thing"

Leo tapped Michael's hand and held up two fists "left or right?"

Michael chose left, the fist was empty, the other revealing a crumpled leaf

Leo smiled "I win"

Michael laughed "Right, now we're ready. Do you trust us?"

"Always" you nodded. You'd known these two since you were children, you helped them get used to walking again on their back-turned legs, you brushed their fur and spent every spare moment with them. You'd trust these two men with your life.

Good thing too. The moment the word left your mouth, Leo tackled you and both of them took off in a sprint. Towards the village.

A lupine can outpace a stallion if they have a mind to, and over a longer distance. Many of the changed men had left the country and were living as condottiere in Italy and France if the tales were true. You could feel why, the wind rushed through your hair as the two wolves charged down the path to the village centre, alarmed cries coming from behind you as the furry blurs sped past terrified peasants.

They stopped at the pillory, placing your head and hands in the wooden frame and shutting it, keeping the latch closed with a stick jammed where the shank of a padlock would fit. You knelt there a moment, head waist-high off the ground, knees on the paved stone below you, a crowd gathering and murmuring as the wolves howled around you, stomping and snarling at the villagers. You tried not to laugh. They're trying to make a scene.

The crowd must have grown to their liking.

"You there! Priest!" Leo pointed at the local clergyman "Come here!"

The crowd pushed the hapless man forward, clutching his bible ahead of him like a shield "W-what are you going to do with me?"

Michael laughed at him, trying to make it sound scary, but only making it harder to keep the grin from your face "You're going to marry us"

The priest stammered a protest, but a showing of sharp teeth from both wolves silenced him. He cleared his throat "We are gathered here today to witness the union of this woman with this" a snarl "These, sorry, these... men? Er, that is to say if any know of any reason why these... people should not be wed, please speak or forever hold your peace" The priest held his eyes shut. Silence fell for a moment, a voice yelled from the back of the crowd "Get on with it!"

"Ahem. Yes. Er" the monk stammered again "Do you take these wolves to be your lawfully wedded, er, husbands?"

You nodded your head "I do" you croaked out, mouth still dry from the run

"And do you-"

"We do" both of your wolf lovers said in unison

The priest drew a cross in the air in front of the three of you "in which case I pronounce you man and wife" The last words were said so quickly it took a moment to process. Then the wolves were upon you.

Michael stood in front of you as Leo stepped behind, tearing the skirt off your rear end, showing you off to the villagers behind you. His tongue went at you, licking your cunt vigorously, making your jaw drop at the ferocity of his touch as he held you open and ate you out. Michael craned his head to watch as he gripped his sheath, the cock inside starting to poke out. The pillory kept your mouth at crotch-height as he slapped his cock on your cheeks, teasing you with the feeling of it as he painted you with his scent. You tried to catch it again and again as the crowd jeered, every time it rubbed against your face, giving you another sniff of his shaft. Until, of course, it didn't.

The crowd cheered as his cock slipped into your mouth, and you started to suck it. Michael grabbed the pillory and started to fuck your face while Leo brought a hand to your clit, sending an orgasm rocking through you as the pad of his finger circled your sensitive nub.

Leo stood up behind you and leant over, his hard cock between your thighs "I'm gonna take your maidenhood, alright?"

You nodded, the cock in your mouth stopping you speaking, the roar of the crowd would drown out any muffled grunts of approval. Thankfully, Leo saw the slight move of your head as you looked into his eye.

The cock pulled out from between your thighs, then plunged into your pussy. Your eyes widened as he pushed in, gently at first but gaining speed with confidence. Your legs bent as your toes curled, the canine cocks ramming into both sides of you building up to another orgasm as the braying, yelling crowd surged your adrenaline.

You felt your pussy squeezing on Leo as Michael hilted himself in your mouth, spraying hot cum down your throat. There was just so much, you felt it dripping from your nose and leaking out of the seal of your lips.

Michael's grunts set Leo off. His knot started to swell in you as he howled, the first load of cum your womb had ever taken, filling you to the brim and over the top. You tried to lock your legs around him, but needn't have bothered, the knot stuck the two of you together.

The crowd started to disperse now, the show was over, all that was left was the gentle licking of your new husbands as their excitement wound down. You each knew the villagers wouldn't do anything about this, there wasn't a watch to speak of and by the time a magistrate blew through you'd be long gone.

It took almost an hour before Leo's knot deflated enough to pull out of you. You opened the pillory with a single push from your back, the flimsy stick giving way immediately. It was only there for show, after all. Together you walked back to the forest where you met with the rest of the lupines. After all, you're family now.

When you finally came with child, you weren't sure which of your men had actually fathered the pups, but you didn't care, they were sure to be great fathers. Plus, you'd even started seeing familiar faces from the village again, moving in with new, furrier husbands.

All's well that ends well, you suppose

####################################

Don't be alarmed that this episode is being published in the evening, rather than 1am, I'm not getting all responsible on you, rather just making sure I'll have steam in the tank for tonight when the next regularly-scheduled episode is going to be written!

One of these days, I'll write a couple ahead of time to build a backlog. Until then, this shit's happening live!

[intheairton1ght]

dylann roof, but only described by others

inspired by this post!!

“dylann’s mother said that he did not readily look anyone except her in the eye… other family members commented that it was difficult… [you] had to work to catch his gaze.”

“even before preschool he was clearly withdrawn from social interaction.”

“at the age of 3 dylann had a number of routines that he completed three times… dylann’s mother said that he would tell her ‘good night, i love you,’ and she would then answer ‘good night, i love you.’ dylann would repeat this process over and over. he told her he could not stop doing it and did not know why.”

— his mother

“his father said that he does not recall ever seeing him sad, angry, or anxious.”

“dylann’s father, who recalled very little from his childhood, did remember that it was difficult to engage dylann in conversation and that you had to ‘pull it out of him’.”

— his father

“emotional pain did not make him cry, she said, and she doubted whether he had feelings sometimes. he had the wrong emotional responses to some things.”

“his sister described him talking at length about topics of interest but said he did not seek out interactions with others unless they were related to an interest or question of his... he often asked very specific odd questions (e.g., do you have black friends? do you have jewish friends?)”

“[she] believes he wants to be polite but that his behaviour is nevertheless offensive… when told he was becoming an uncle, dylann responded with ‘is it too late to terminate the pregnancy?’. his sister believed he ‘did not mean to hurt my feelings’.”

— his sister

“from a young age, he did not wish to have birthday parties and celebrated with his immediate family only… when around other children at family holidays or events, dylann was very quiet, removed, and obviously uncomfortable. it was ‘like he was watching, not engaging.’”

“dylann did not tend to look another person in the eye unless the person said something he did not like. dylann would give a mean look but then grin, as if he was kidding.”

“[they] described dylann as not understanding when he needed to leave a family function and, even at age 20, suggested that ‘maybe he didn’t learn that social cue.”

“according to family members, dylann had little sense of the dominant culture. he was very specific about his hairstyle… [they] described his clothing and hair trends that did not fit with the style of his classmates.”

— other family members

“he described dylann as ‘awkward’ and ‘soft as a cookie,’ in part, because dylann liked to watch chick flicks like titanic and stand by me.”

“dylann did not usually begin conversations or become very involved in the conversations the group was having unless he was very interested about a particular subject.”

“[he] ‘did not have interest in people’ and she called him a ‘sarcastic loner’.”

— friends/classmates

“dylann was described as someone did not talk much, gave short answers, and missed work without calling in notice. coworkers said that, based on conversations with him, he did not seem to have a social life and tended to ‘zone out’ while working and would be working on the wrong yard and would have to get called back.”

“[they] described that he said everything in monotone, and would not crack a smile to indicate he was joking. the coworker remembered joking with dylann and the most he would get in response was an odd grin.”

“dylann’s coworker had asked dylann what he would do if his parents did not support him anymore… dylann replied that he would not be able to survive.”

— coworkers

[reubyanne]

Batman is dead, and only Superman knows about this.

Dick parked his batwing near the fortress of solitude, wearing his cold suit, he stood in front of the fortress's door.

"i know you hear me come, Superman. please open the door, we need to talk."

nothing happened.

"Superman, i know you know where Batman is. Gotham needs him, we need him, i need him."

Superman is just standing behind the door, and doesn't want to open it, but he stays there, at least until Dick gives up and goes back.

"Superman please, i need to see Batman. i need.. to see my dad. i just want to see my dad, Superman, please."

hearing Dick's plea, Superman suddenly remembered when the boy was still 12, crying in between tall buildings of Gotham, lost the sight of the bat. first time being a Robin, he was still not used to the streets and buildings of Gotham.

Superman flies to Gotham, carrying little Dick to his chest, calming him down while he searches for Batman.

"𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘥, 𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘥. " little Dick cries.

he flies and finally sees Batman standing there looking up to him.

"𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥–"

"𝘋𝘈𝘋!"

little Dick jumps off him to Batman's arms.

Superman opens the fortress's door. Dick can see that he's in a mess.

ok, so definitely something is wrong here.

"come in."

they walk in silence. Dick doesn't know what to ask and Superman doesn't know what to tell.

they stopped in front of a door.

"Dick i.. I don't know what to tell you because i too, confused by this accident." he sigh, "Batman is.. 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥."

Superman has to dodge and get back a few steps because Dick throws him fists.

"you're KIDDING me, Superman. he can't die. HE CAN'T DIE. NOT LIKE THIS!"

"I am angry too, Dick! he IS my best friend! my other half! I can't accept him died like this!" he holds Dick's arms, he can see tears beading in his eyes.

"open the door, Superman. open it."

"Dick i need you to calm–"

"OPEN IT, PLEASE!"

Superman opens the door, just to be greeted by Bruce Wayne in a frozen capsule, wearing a suit on top of a white flower bed. his face is calm like he's sleeping.

Dick just stares emptily to him. his dad, really lying on the flower bed like he's dead.

he can't accept this.

"i was busy wondering how i can bring him back to life but.. I don't know, Dick."

"There's a way, just like how Jason get brought back to life. The Lazarus Pit. but i don't have access to enter it."

"maybe.. your little brother could help?"

"little brother?"

Damian walks in from behind the ice walls. "Greetings Grayson," he looked at Superman eerily. ".. Kent."

"Damian? how?"

"they come around 30 minutes after you, i can hear them park the other batwing around 10 kilometers from here." Superman said.

"They?" Dick is now confused.

"the other kids, and Kon as well."

"Grayson," Damian got them back to the topic. "i can ask mother to grant me the permission to the Pit for father. she will understand."

Dick silent for a while, "i think.. at least we can try."

Part 1

[sleepdeprivedblond]

Hero waking up at Villain's lair

Remaining awake for more than a few minutes was becoming harder and harder. You would have thought that it would be getting easier, that the drug given would lessen in strength and leave room for consciousness. But it was not the case.

Hero was not aware of where she was. Perhaps she was sprawled on a random ground, or tied in a wet basement. Time could plan anything. Sometimes, she caught herself praying to a God she didn’t believe in to wake up in a nice comfy bed, tucked in warm covers and surrounded by her caring friends. But she was no such dreamer, not in the long term.

So all she could do was wait. Wait as she felt her thoughts drifting away, spending every barely-awake moment hoping it would stop.

And then, finally, light pierced her eyelids and stayed there, pushing her toward awareness. When she finally managed to pry her eyes open, she couldn’t see what surrounded her right away. Everything was blurry, she felt like she had been hit by a train at full force. Hero didn’t know where pain came from, she just knew that it was there and stabbing at her constantly. But where from?

Prying her eyes open was one thing, understanding where she was was another. 

Hero tried to move but she felt her weak body betraying her once again, silently threatening to pull her under like it was an easy thing to do when it was not supposed to be.

With a sigh, she decided to worry about it later. The most important thing she had to do was figure out where she was.

The ground was not as uncomfortable as it should have been and, when she turned her head - thank the Gods she would move her neck - she saw that she was actually laying on a cloth sprawled underneath her shivering body. Why was it shivering?

-You took your time.

Hero’s brain didn’t register whose voice had echoed next to her but, when it did, she had to resist the urge to try to get up again.

It was Villain. 

No matter how hard Hero tried to remember what had happened and how she could have ended up in such a place next to her nemesis, she couldn’t remember. It felt like her memories were stuck in a vault in her own mind, like straining against the lock was exhausting her to the point of panting in the silence.

-Where am I?

Her voice sounded so weak she wanted to punch herself. Villain didn’t leave her enough time to try to move her fist.

-Relax, you’re with me.

-Is that really supposed to help me relax?

-That’s not my problem.

Hero sighed. It was always the same with Villain, every statement was turned into a question. She turned her head toward the origin of the voice and noticed her old friend.

Her sworn enemy was leaning against the far wall, looking down on her. Which meant that, even though Hero was not laying on the cold ground, she was still on the floor.

Great.

-What happened?

-You got injured.

As if it wanted to prove Villain’s words, Hero suddenly felt her side bursting into an unbearable fire. She groaned and managed to palm her side, feeling the rough textile that was hugging her tightly. Bandages.

-How? She managed through gritted teeth.

-Is that all that matters to you?

Hero didn’t need to look at Villain to know what she meant by her question.

Her enemy had rescued her and taken care of her wound. Surely, she would remember bandaging it herself. If Villain had not been the one doing it, then it had been one of her henchmen. But it could not have been done by itself. Someone had done this for her, with the intention to keep her alive.

-If you wanted to kill me, you would have done so earlier. You wouldn’t have taken the time to help me heal, would you?

-That’s debatable. Maybe I need you for something.

-You wish I was that useful. We both know I’m not.

-Why so convinced?

Hero sighed again and decided not to meet Villain’s again. She knew that her old friend wanted to play a game she hated. And she was too exhausted to get in it.

-When will you let me go?

-Oh, so you think you can stand and walk, then?

Hero was about to prove Villain wrong when her enemy was suddenly by her side. She felt strong hands applying pressure to her rib-cage, keeping her on the ground. She grinned.

Are you that scared for me? She teased.

Right. Like I ever was.

Hero decided not to remind Villain about those times when they were little, when she was the cautious one. She felt lucky enough not to have been left to rot wherever she had been hurt.

-I want to leave, though.

-Are you listening to yourself? Have you any idea how long you stayed unconscious?

-Whose fault?

-Yours!

-No, yours!

It felt like they were bickering children. Hero took a deep breath, aware that Villain would not calm down first. She had to get down by herself. It had always been this way.

-What did you give me?

-What?

-I said: what did you give me? What drug?

-What makes you assume-

-I just know.

Nobody stays asleep for so long. Hero knew that much. She also knew that Villain would rather watch her sleeping than listen to her complaining. Villain finally sighed and looked away, her palms retracting from Hero’s ribcage.

-It wasn’t that much.

-Alright, what was it?

-Morphine.

-Morphine got me in this state?

-You were worse when I found you.

-Right.

Hero winced when she observed the needle still sinking into her skin. Her arm was almost limp, like the rest of her body. If she wanted to leave any time soon, she had to get the drug out of her. She had to convince Villain to remove it at all.

-If I stop the morphine from going into you, Villain said, reading in her mind like always, you will feel pain. A lot of pain.

-I know. Please do.

-Very bad idea.

-Did I stutter?

Villain sighed but said nothing. She did all the necessary preparations under Hero’s critical eye, from cleaning around the red skin where the needle sank to putting latex gloves on. She removed the accessory, still under Hero’s unmoving gaze, confirming that she had been the one to go all this way in order to keep her alive.

-Don’t ask. Villain said, apparently reading in her mind fully.

-I wasn’t about to.

They both knew it was a lie. They both knew Villain would rather die than answer. They both knew Hero couldn’t bear whatever answer her old friend would give her.

-Try to move as little as possible. Standing is still a big step.

-I will do whatever I want. Hero answered as coldly as she could.

-Alright.

Just when Hero thought she had finally won, that Villain would finally leave and that she would have the opportunity to escape whatever place this way, she felt something tugging at her ankle.

She looked down and realized that she was strapped to the ground. She was on a table without any feet, like the thing had been made especially for this kind of situation. To heal someone who didn’t want to be.

She immediately started to fight back, the pain in her side hissing at her. She let out a strangled yelp when she suddenly felt it, morphine not coating her nerve endings anymore.

-I told you. Villain said as she reached the door, leaving tied Hero behind. You still need to rest.

The pain was too much, the restraints were, too. Hero sank in the dark again.

[earthtoharlow]

HIT THE LIGHS

3rd installment of the Flashing Lights series, must read Flashing Lights & Don’t Like The Lights first to understand

series masterlist

3. The Journey

“I love them more than anything in the world, but sometimes… I miss how things used to be. Before the kids. When it was just us.” Maryse hesitated, swallowing the guilt rising in her throat. “I know it sounds selfish, and I hate even thinking it, but I miss the simplicity. I miss you and me without all the extra weight. And lately, it feels like we’re not even on the same page anymore.”

Jack listened in silence, his expression unreadable, though her words hit harder than he wanted to admit. After a moment, he simply said, “Go on.”

She took a breath, her voice unsteady. “I’m so grateful for our babies. I wouldn’t trade them for anything. But I miss having your full attention. I miss just… breathing. I miss laughing about nothing, staying up all night talking, not constantly thinking about schedules, diapers, or how exhausted we are.”

Jack reached for her hand, his thumb brushing gently over her knuckles. “That doesn’t sound selfish,” he said softly.

Her eyes stung, but she blinked back the tears. “It doesn’t?”

“No,” he said firmly. “It sounds human. This is a huge change for both of us. Missing what we had before doesn’t mean we love them—or each other—any less.”

A shaky laugh escaped her. “I was so scared to say it out loud. I didn’t want you to think I wasn’t happy or that I regret anything.”

“I’d never think that,” he reassured her. “I get it. I really do. I feel the same way sometimes. But you’re right—we need to find space for us again.”

Relief washed over her. She had been terrified he’d misunderstand, that he’d think she was ungrateful. But she wasn’t. She loved their life, their babies, him.

Jack ran a hand down his face, nodding as he processed her words. Then, after a beat, he looked at her. “Is it my turn now?”

She gave a small, hesitant nod, tugging at the sleeves of his hoodie.

He exhaled, leaning forward, elbows resting on his knees. “Alright… I’ve been holding a lot in too.” He hesitated before meeting her eyes. “I was more upset than I let on about you posting the twins without talking to me first.”

Her stomach dropped, guilt settling in. “I know,” she admitted softly.

“I get why you did it,” he continued. “I knew something must’ve happened that made you feel like you had to post them right then. But it still stung, you know? We’ve kept them private for so long, and then I wake up and see them on my feed like everyone else. And instead of hearing it from you, I had to hear about it from my best friend.”

She swallowed hard, guilt pressing deep in her chest. “I should’ve told you first,” Maryse whispered.

“Yeah,” Jack agreed, then let out a sigh. “And I should’ve told you how I really felt instead of brushing it off like it was nothing.” He sat back, watching her. “I don’t wanna be like that. I want us to talk about things, even when it’s uncomfortable. Especially now that we have kids. I want them to grow up in a house where their parents don’t hide their feelings, no matter how hard it is to say them out loud.”

Something tightened in Maryse’s chest—not in a bad way, but in a way that made her realize just how much he was trying.

She nodded slowly, still gripping the fabric of his hoodie. “I want that too,” she said, and she meant it.

Jack studied her for a moment before his gaze dropped to her hand, where the promise ring gleamed on her finger. He tilted his head slightly. “You remember what I said when I gave that to you?”

She did. The memory of that night in Paris rushed back—him sitting across from her in their hotel room, the way he turned the ring between his fingers, the way he looked at her when he said, I don’t want to be with anyone else but you. I want us to keep building our future together.

She swallowed past the lump in her throat and nodded.

“Then think about that every time you start doubting how I feel about you,” he said, his voice softer now, more certain. “Because I meant every word.”

His eyes stayed on her, unwavering. “And I’m gonna prove it to you—every day, for the rest of your life—until you believe it. Until you realize I’m not going anywhere.”

Her breath hitched, fingers tightening on his hoodie.

“You gotta stop letting other people’s opinions get in your head,” he continued, his voice firm but gentle. “They don’t know us. They don’t know what we’ve been through—what we have.” He shook his head. “I’m here. I’ve been here. And I’m always gonna be here.”

Her eyes burned with unshed tears as she looked at him—the man who had been by her side through everything. The highs, the lows, the moments that shattered her and the ones that put her back together.

And for the first time in a while, she let herself believe it..

Maryse didn’t say anything at first. Instead, she climbed into his lap, settling against him like it was second nature. Her arms looped around his neck as she pressed a slow, lingering kiss to the curve of it. She felt the deep exhale he let out, the way his grip on her tightened instinctively.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured against his skin. “For always running away.” She pulled back just enough to meet his eyes, her fingers tracing absently over the back of his head. “I don’t want to do that anymore.”

Jack studied her, searching her face like he needed to be sure she meant it.

“Good,” he finally said, voice low. “’Cause I need you here.”

“I am here,” she promised. “And I’m not going anywhere.”

His arms wrapped more securely around her, his fingers trailing slow circles on her back. “It really upsets me when you walk away like that. I get that sometimes we need space, but leaving isn’t the answer. We’re in this for life, baby.”

She swallowed hard, guilt settling deep in her chest. “I know. I’m sorry.”

Jack tilted her chin up, making sure she was looking at him. “We’re gonna go through stuff. That’s just what happens when you love somebody. But I need you to remember—we’re gonna get through it together. You hear me?”

She nodded, her throat tight with emotion.

“And you still gotta give me ten kids.”

A watery laugh slipped out as she smacked his chest lightly. “Ten is crazy.”

“I’m just saying,” he teased, his lips brushing against hers. “We make cute babies.”

Maryse softened, tracing a finger along his jaw. “We do make cute kids.” Then she sighed, glancing toward the door. “I miss them… Should we go get them?”

Jack shook his head immediately, a smirk creeping onto his lips. “Nah… best part about arguing is makeup sex.”

Her eyes widened as she gasped, laughing just as he suddenly grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder. “Oh my God! Put me down!”

“Nope,” he said, patting her thigh as he carried her out of the living room. “You started this, now you gotta finish it.”

She kept laughing, kicking her feet playfully. “You’re ridiculous.”

“And you love it.”

Jack tossed her onto the bed, and Maryse barely had a second to react before he was on top of her. Their lips crashed together, hands roaming, tugging at each other’s clothes with the kind of desperation that only came after a fight. Her fingers fumbled with his waistband, ready to yank his pants down when he suddenly stilled.

She blinked up at him, breathless. “What’s wrong?”

Jack exhaled, running a hand over his face. “Wait… I won’t drop the song.”

For a second, she almost didn’t register what he was saying—until it hit her. The song. The argument. The whole reason they were even in this moment.

She propped herself up on her elbows, searching his face. “Are you serious?”

He nodded. “If it upsets you, I won’t drop it.”

Her heart clenched at the sincerity in his voice. He was willing to set aside something important to him for her. But she shook her head, reaching up to cup his face. “No… you have to drop it. I would never forgive myself if I stopped you from releasing something you worked hard on.”

His eyes stayed on hers. “You sure?”

She nodded firmly. “Yes. I don’t ever want to be the reason you hold back on your music. I just… I needed to talk to you about it. That’s all.”

A slow smirk tugged at his lips. “You could’ve just talked to me from the jump instead of storming off.”

Maryse rolled her eyes. “Are we really doing this right now?”

Jack chuckled, leaning back down to kiss her. “Nah… we got better things to do.”

His lips brushed against her ear as he murmured, “You can be as loud as you want… it’s just us.”

Her breath hitched, fingers digging into his back as he pressed deeper against her. The reminder sent a shiver down her spine—no interruptions, no worrying about waking the twins, just the two of them, lost in each other.

She let go, her moans filling the space between them. He groaned in response, loving the way she unraveled beneath him. “That’s my girl,” he murmured against her lips before kissing her deeply, swallowing every sound she made..

With every movement, the tension from their argument dissolved, replaced by something deeper—something unbreakable. Jack’s grip on Maryse’s hips was firm, pulling her closer like he could never get enough. His breath was hot against her ear as he leaned in, his voice rough with emotion.

“I love you,” he murmured. “I’m never gonna leave you. You hear me?”

Her heart clenched at his words, her nails pressing into his back as she held him tighter. “I love you too,” she whispered, her voice trembling from the intensity of it all.

“Say it again,” he pleaded, his tone softer now—vulnerable.

“I love you,” she said without hesitation. That’s when she saw it—the glint of unshed tears in his eyes. Something inside her cracked wide open, and she pulled him down into a slow, aching kiss.

When they broke apart, she rested her forehead against his, her lips brushing his as she whispered, “You’re the love of my life. Always.”

He exhaled shakily, his hands trembling slightly as he held her even closer. “Again,” he begged, his voice barely above a breath.

“You’re the love of my life,” she repeated, her lips ghosting over his with every word. “And nothing is ever gonna change that.”

The tears finally fell, and she kissed them away, cradling his face as if her touch alone could make him whole. In that moment, nothing else existed—just them, their love, and the quiet promises stitching them back together.

As they lay tangled in the sheets, their breaths still uneven, Jack pulled her closer, arms tightening around her like he was afraid she might slip away. His face was buried in her hair, his hands spread across her back, holding her as if he could fuse them together.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured after a moment.

Maryse frowned, her fingers tracing lazy patterns down his spine. “For what?”

“For crying,” he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.

She pulled back just enough to see his face, cupping his cheeks in her hands. “Don’t ever apologize for that,” she told him firmly, her thumbs brushing over his cheekbones. “You never have to be sorry for feeling something with me.”

His eyes searched hers, looking for reassurance, and she gave it to him the only way she knew how—by pressing a slow, lingering kiss to his lips. When she pulled away, she rested her forehead against his. “I love you,” she whispered. “Every part of you—including the part that feels things deeply.”

His arms tightened around her again as he let out a shaky breath, pressing a kiss to her shoulder. “I love you too,” he murmured, this time with certainty.

Maryse exhaled softly. “Are we friends again?” she asked, exhaustion and relief woven into her voice.

Jack pulled her even closer, as if to make up for lost time. “The best of friends,” he said, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Lovers, even.”

She smiled against his skin, but before she could respond, he sighed. “I hate when we argue,” he admitted. “I know we’re going to disagree sometimes, but I don’t want it to feel like we’re on opposite sides.”

She nestled deeper into his arms, pressing a soft kiss to his chest. “Me too,” she whispered. “I don’t want to fight with you.”

His hand trailed down her back in a soothing motion. “Then let’s work on it. No more shutting down. No more running.”

She nodded, the promise unspoken but understood in the way she held onto him.

“And we can’t let anyone rush us,” he added, his voice steady. “I love where we are right now. We don’t have to sprint toward the altar just because people expect it.”

Maryse lifted her head slightly to study him. “You don’t want to get married?”

He chuckled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “M, I’d do it in a heartbeat,” he admitted. “But I want us to take our time—enjoy being parents, enjoy figuring things out. I don’t want us to move faster just because the world is watching.”

She held his gaze for a moment before nodding. “You’re right. I love where we are too.”

His lips brushed against her forehead. “Good,” he murmured. “Because I’m in this forever, no matter how long it takes.”

They were quiet for a moment as they were still tangled up in the sheets. Jack lazily traced circles on Maryse’s back, his fingers warm against her skin. His voice was low and teasing when he murmured, “We should call my mom and wish the twins goodnight.”

Maryse hummed in agreement, snuggling closer. “Yeah, we should.”

He smirked. “And then, after that, we can get back to making up properly.”

She gasped, smacking his chest, making him laugh. “You’re impossible.”

“Yeah yeah, I know” he murmured, pressing a kiss to her temple as he reached for his phone.

A moment later, his mom answered the video call, and the screen filled with the sight of London and Noah, fresh out of the bath and dressed in their pajamas.

“Hi, my babies!” Maryse cooed, sitting up slightly

London immediately tried to kiss the phone, her little lips smushing against the screen, while Noah waved with his tiny hand, grinning.

Jack chuckled. “Y’all miss us?”

Noah babbled something incoherent, and Jack’s mom appeared in the background, smiling. “They’ve been good, but I think they’re wondering where their parents are.”

Maryse pouted. “We miss them so much.”

London clapped her hands, and both Jack and Maryse laughed, soaking in the moment.

“We’ll see you guys tomorrow,” Jack said.

“Love you, sweethearts,” Maryse added.

As the call ended, she sighed happily, resting her head on his chest.

“They’re perfect,” she whispered.

“They are,” he agreed, pressing a lingering kiss to the top of her head. He let a beat of silence pass before smirking. “Now, where were we?”

She rolled her eyes but couldn’t fight her smile as he shifted above her again, his hands already wandering.

***

AN: 💜🥹 thank you for reading! Let me know your thoughts!!! Next chapter will come out on the twins birthday 🤭

Tag List

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[damthosefandoms]

been thinking a lot about cherrycola who were friends in early elementary school because they didn’t know about the “great tulsa divide” yet and soda was just a silly chatterbox who couldn’t read or write very good and cherry was a real bright little girl who didn’t like getting in trouble but loved helping her classmates—her friends—and they used to end up always sitting next to each other in their classes every year and it was great for a while, until they grew up. and anyway here’s a little wip from something I’m writing about that:

———

“You write pretty good for a soc,” Soda comments later that day, as they work on their short stories. The assignment was to write five chapters, each at least two paragraphs long, about an animal of their choice. His is about a horse that runs a little slower than all of its friends, but makes up for it by being such a great friend. Cherry’s story is about a cat who wants to be friends with a dog. They have to read each other’s stories today, then edit and revise them with a partner.

(Well, now there’s one group of three, since Dally hasn’t returned from the office yet, but that isn’t Soda’s problem.)

Soda and Cherry work together as usual, being desk-partners and all, and he’s about a paragraph into her story when he decides to bring it up. He can see all the red pen she’s covered his own notebook in, and he wants to get ahead of it, change the focus to her before she can point out his mistakes. It’s only because it’s been on his mind all day it kind of just slips out.

“You write pretty good, for a soc.”

“For a what?”

Cherry’s green eyes blink at him and he wonders why it has to be green that people associate with the word go. Like, sometimes it feels as if he can just say anything to Cherry Valance, like he can just get away with it. He can’t. He should know better.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean—”

“No, I heard what you said. Sodapop, come on. That whole thing is so silly. I thought you knew that.”

He opens his mouth to respond, to say it’s not, that he’s seen firsthand as they’ve gotten older how different their lives really are. How she couldn’t laugh at Dally causing serious trouble. How he can’t laugh when he hears kids who he knows Cherry hangs out with telling Two-Bit to go back where he came from, as if he wasn’t born on the same cursed East Tulsa soil as Sodapop and his brothers were.

She’d never say anything like that; but then again, what does Soda know? He only sees her at school. Outside of that, they don’t exactly hang around the same playgrounds. He bets the swingsets in her neighborhood aren’t broken or have the chains wrapped around the top bar.

So he just shrugs. He glances at the chalkboard, where their teacher’s cursive twists and turns in front of his eyes, the same way the butterflies in his stomach are doing gymnastics right now. He tries to remember how they were supposed to phrase their peer-review comments and questions.

“I guess so. Sorry. Uh, I was curious about the part in your story where—”

“My story’s fine,” Cherry snaps, and she pulls it away from him. “You wouldn’t get it anyway.”

She’s blushing like she’s embarrassed, and Soda doesn’t understand why. He hasn’t even finished reading yet. He thought it was so interesting, how the other cats wanted the main character to stick with her own friends, but she wanted more. She wants to be friends with everyone, dogs, cats, rabbits, whatever. Soda might not be the best reader but he thinks Ponyboy would’ve loved it.

Heck, he loves it so far. It just doesn’t seem realistic, but that’s why they’re writing fiction stories, isn’t it?

[nekoyin]

so I saw this at class, did it, thought I posted it, turns out I didnt so TAKE TWO

ty for the tag <3 I'm gonna do my husband of almost a decade now Poe Dameron

1. Was there any specific point / any specific moment that suddenly made them your Blorbo, or did you slowly grow to love them more and more until they became a Blorbo to you? lowkey fell in love with that pretty ass face from the start THEN HE OPENED HIS MOUTH AND WAS SASSY??? also love me a man who'd punch a person in power that's hot 

2. What’s the thing you love the most about your Blorbo? uh uh uh yes (if I had to choose, his passion and want to free people from the First Order/the fact he's a revolutionary)

3. What's the thing you dislike the most about your Blorbo? the fact he's not real and kissing me rn :( (and that he risks his life a lot of the time to try and save as people as he can, it's noble, but it worries me ;;;;)

4. If you could talk to your Blorbo, what would you say to them? I love you. I'll always support you no matter what UNLESS YOU GO ONE SOME STUPID SUICIDE MISSION DON'T DIE I'LL CRY :(((

5. What's the one thing the fandom gets wrong about your Blorbo? I think that Poe being a flirt is a thing, but I don't see him being like this fuckboy that lays with people and doesn't care/forgets names afterwards. He seems the type to remember everyone's names, whether or not he is friends with them enough to sleep with them if that makes sense. 

6. Is your Blorbo an introvert or extrovert? Extrovert 

7. Describe your Blorbo in 3 words. pretty, brave, dumb (affectionate)

8. If your Blorbo were real, would you trust them with your life? Yes. Absolutely. He seems the protective type so I am SAFE

9. Do you talk to your family or in-real-life friends about your Blorbo? THEY ARE SO FED UP WITH ME YAPPING ABOUT HOW MUCH I LOVE HIM LMFAO 

10. Is there any crime, any wrongdoing your Blorbo could commit that would make you stop loving them and remove them from your hyperfixation entirely? Nah bro i lowkey like my men a lil insane so

11. Do you like seeing your Blorbo suffer? Mixed. Cuz I like angst, but I need a happy ending. 

12. Do you ship your Blorbo with any character? ME DUH (and kinda Finn but I relate to Finn a lot so what that say bout us)

13. If your Blorbo is from a live-action media, are you also a fan of the actor who plays them?  YAH he was my introduction to Oscar Isaac

14. Would you still love your Blorbo if they were real? YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND. HOW BAD. I AM TRYING TO GET A REAL LIFE POE DAMERON TO DATE. PLEASE UNIVERSE ONE CHANCE ONE-

15. Is your Blorbo a victim of badly written script / bad plot / character assassination in the hands of canon? Yes imo and it makes me so so sad :(

16. If you could change one canonical thing about your Blorbo, what would it be? I think I'd change the fact that he tried to get back with Zorii, I don't mind her existence, but she was literally abusive POE BABY WHY ARE YOU ASKING TO KISS HER YOU SHOULD BE KISSING ME :(((

17. When you first discovered your Blorbo, did you realize from that moment that they would become your Blorbo? Oh I was torn between him and Kylo initially, but I knew I'd like Poe more for longer… didn't really expect this long though HAHAHA

18. Do you gatekeep your Blorbo? / would you want more people to know about your Blorbo? I TRY TO BUT HE'S TOO POPULAR :( People are like “oh I'm his biggest fan/spouse” and I'm like GET OUT YOU JUST JOINED THIS FANDOM IVE BEEN HERE SINCE DAY ONEEEEE /hj

19. Has a fanfic about your Blorbo ever made you cry? Thinking about him can make me cry. I'm trying to write a fic rn that the PREMISE made me cry (I’m sensitive)

20. Do you think this character will still be your Blorbo three years from now? I'VE BEEN HERE ALMOST TEN YEARS BABY IT AIN'T EVER STOPPING

uhh idk who to tag but @latenightbrawler pookie look at the thoughts about my husband

20 Questions

BLORBO ASKS GAME

reblog if you’d like people to send you asks about your Blorbo

was there any specific point / any specific moment that suddenly made them your Blorbo, or did you slowly grow to love them more and more until they became a Blorbo to you?

It was immediate. Watching Steven flounder then discovering the tragedy that is Marc. I started on the show, then began collecting the comics.

what’s the thing you love the most about your Blorbo?

I loved the representation of DID, autism and childhood trauma.

what’s the thing you dislike the most about your Blorbo?

We barely got any Jake in the show, and he’s such a fantastic character in the comics. Comic Jake is the only way I can imagine him. Moustache and all.

if you could talk to your Blorbo, what would you say to them?

Not a thing. He’d get a damn hug.

what’s the one thing the fandom gets wrong about your Blorbo?

I think every adaptation is unique to that person and they’re wonderful for sharing. I’m a hoe for every crumb I’m not even sorry.

is your Blorbo an introvert or extrovert?

Depends who’s fronting. Steven’s an ambivert: extroverted to avoid the feeling of loneliness, introverted in his hobbies and day-to-day. Marc’s a huge introvert and doesn’t like many people, how Frenchie puts up with him I don’t know. Jake is a natural extrovert, it comes easy to him to find a friend in anyone.

describe your Blorbo in 3 words

Damaged hot mess

if your Blorbo were real, would you trust them with your life?

Most likely… kinda. Squinting real hard at you, Khonshu.

do you talk to your family or in-real-life friends about your Blorbo?

My partner can’t get away from my obsession. My brother brought me the same MK action figure Marc's holding in the asylum. It was really unexpected and touching. They let me drag them all over the city stopping in as many comic stores as I could visit.

is there any crime, any wrongdoing your Blorbo could commit that would make you stop loving them and remove them from your hyperfixation entirely?

Mean to animals would make me very sad.

do you like seeing your Blorbo suffer?

Every damn day of the week.

do you ship your Blorbo with any character?

I ship him with anyone and everyone, it’s such a problem. I love all ships in all shapes and sizes. All the new ships coming out of Marvel Rivals has sustained me well lately.

if your Blorbo is from a live-action media, are you also a fan of the actor who plays them?

Oscar Isaac is one of the best humans alive. I love his face, his personality—everything. He made it easy to love the characters he plays.

would you still love your Blorbo if they were real?

Probably. I’d always be rooting for him that’s for sure.

is your Blorbo a victim of badly written script / bad plot / character assassination in the hands of canon?

Kind of. How they handled Jake suucked.

if you could change one canonical thing about your Blorbo, what would it be?

Make comics Jake canon!

when you first discovered your Blorbo, did you realize from that moment that they would become your Blorbo?

I didn’t expect to go down as bad as I did. It wasn’t until I started writing him in 1x1 & group roleplays was where I truly fell down the hole.

do you gatekeep your Blorbo? / would you want more people to know about your Blorbo?

No gatekeeping allowed in this house! I am thrilled anytime more people discover MK by any means. It’s so much fun seeing new people arrive and interact with the fandom.

has a fanfic about your Blorbo ever made you cry?

Not a fanfic, but episode 5 made me ball. Hit close to home. I’m not one to cry easily so have yet to find a fanfic that will.

do you think this character will still be your Blorbo three years from now on?

Probably, I still have a lot more to write and explore.

Questions posted below empty for easy copy paste:

was there any specific point / any specific moment that suddenly made them your Blorbo, or did you slowly grow to love them more and more until they became a Blorbo to you?

what’s the thing you love the most about your Blorbo?

what’s the thing you dislike the most about your Blorbo?

if you could talk to your Blorbo, what would you say to them?

what’s the one thing the fandom gets wrong about your Blorbo?

is your Blorbo an introvert or extrovert?

describe your Blorbo in 3 words

if your Blorbo were real, would you trust them with your life?

do you talk to your family or in-real-life friends about your Blorbo?

is there any crime, any wrongdoing your Blorbo could commit that would make you stop loving them and remove them from your hyperfixation entirely?

do you like seeing your Blorbo suffer?

do you ship your Blorbo with any character?

if your Blorbo is from a live-action media, are you also a fan of the actor who plays them?

would you still love your Blorbo if they were real?

is your Blorbo a victim of badly written script / bad plot / character assassination in the hands of canon?

if you could change one canonical thing about your Blorbo, what would it be?

when you first discovered your Blorbo, did you realize from that moment that they would become your Blorbo?

do you gatekeep your Blorbo? / would you want more people to know about your Blorbo?

has a fanfic about your Blorbo ever made you cry?

do you think this character will still be your Blorbo three years from now on?

Inspired by the wonderful @psycheetamore Hitting a few others I'd love to see do this! @mystra-midnight @my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction @faretheeoscar @moonbeammist @therapardalis @weheartchrisevans @silvermoon343

[jezuschristsuperstar]

To be honest I feel like it’s a little more complex than that. There is resentment there, but not necessarily because they don’t consider him as family- but because of the unfortunate role Richie played in Mikey’s demise (even if he didn’t intend to)

First off, Richie was an enabler. It’s quite the unfortunate fact. Of course he cared for Mikey- he was his friend, someone he loved and respected. But he’s was an enabler. We hear bits and pieces of this scattered throughout the show. They both indulged in destructive behaviours but kept on trying to reason with themselves that it was fine because they were having fun and spending time together (at least on his end). And we see him being hit with the reality that those things were harmful when he goes on a date and she asks him what they were doing at a bar at 5 am in the morning.

Beyond their youth, Richie is the one who has spent the most time with Mikey. They grew up together. Ran a business together. They know each other as both friends and family- despite being an outsider, he knows him better than Nat and Carm cause there is this added element of friendship (sometimes your friends know you better than your siblings/ you have a different relationship). This was something Carmen disliked because he regarded Mikey as his best friend, until he realized that wasn’t the case. He felt like he chose Richie over him. So while they all grew up together, there are tinges of resentment because at the end of the day him and Mikey are actually related and Richie and Mikey aren’t. That’s why he holds the fact that Mikey gave him the restaurant over Richie’s head. That’s why he calls him a leech… he can’t fathom the fact that (in his head) Mikey was more of a brother to Richie than he was to him- and while there is still love there, because there is a lot left unsaid (mainly because the centre of it all is now dead) it intensely affects the dynamic between them.

On to Sugar. I understand Sugars resentment and pain and frustration and anger. As I said before, beyond their youth Richie and Mikey have been together for the longest. Richie was seeing everything that was happening to Mikey first hand. His drug problems, the money lending, the destructive tendencies, Donna- he was there for it. However (and this is my own interpretation) I feel like Richie prioritized feeling like he was a part of something and feeling as if he can fix things, over the health of his friend- and this isn’t done maliciously. The show explores loneliness. All of the main characters (especially the main three) are isolated. You can tell that Richie wants a family, and he gets that. But he also wants to continue the kinship he has had with his friend as he was there for him when he had nobody else, when nobody else understood him. He feels as he owes a lot to him, but much like what we are seeing with Carmen and Sydney, he was addressing these things the wrong way. He wasn’t paying attention. He was doing what he thought Mikey would like, and not what would’ve been best for him. And this eventually led to him losing both Mikey and Tiff. And when you remember that they were together till the end, you understand why Natalie’s first thought would be “why didn’t you do anything? Why didn’t you get him the help he needed?”. Because to Nat, he saw the signs. To Nat, he knew that he wasn’t in a good place. And deep down he knew this too.

Deep down they love him. They care for him. He is family. They have seen each other grow. But they are grappling with death here. Mikey is dead and is never coming back. He left without any explanation. Not even a tangible goodbye. He just left. And when such things happen, the people left behind now have to ask themselves what went wrong. It devolves into assigning blame onto others, or even blaming themselves (in Carmen’s nightmare sequence, we see the ticket machine printing out shit that said he killed Micheal). It is a tough time, and no one is acknowledging it properly or healthily at the moment. They open the locker with Mikey’s belongings- they briefly reminisce, but that’s it. Mikey is a ghost that haunts them. His death is affecting their relationships. And I really hope that this next season allows Richie and Carmen to finally talk about him properly once and for all.

You know, despite calling Richie "cousin", I think Mikey didn't actually consider him family.

Because at the end, he left The Beef to Carmy. His blood brother, who he never let into his restaurant, from who he kept his addiction, and hasn't talked to probably for years.

Yet Richie was with him at The Beef every day, knew how to run the restaurant, and knew about Mikey's drug use. The guy whose marriage collapsed because he prioritized supporting the Berzattos instead of his own wife. In the end, he was just a friend.

And then, Carmy, the kid with zero financial sense, tries to make another kid, Sydney, his partner in the restaurant. A kid he's known for a few short months. A partnership that requires ZERO buy-in from Sydney.

#RichieDeservesBetter